Cursed
by Hazelmist
Summary: PREOotp.Telling Potter off had always been easy.They had always hated each other.Then why was he looking at her in that way? And why couldn't she turn him down just this once?It was supposed to be simple, but a detention and a spell changed everything.LJ
1. Where We Started

**Cursed**

**Ship: Lily x James, Sirius x OC and Remus x OC**

**Summary: Telling James Potter off had always been easy. They had always hated each other. Then why was he looking at her in that way? And why couldn't she turn him down just this once. It was supposed to be simple, but a detention and a spell changed everything for Lily and James.**

**A/N: THIS STORY IGNORES EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT LILY AND JAMES PRE-OOTP. So several years ago I started this because I was bored. I wrote the first five chapters in like one hour and it was so much fun that I kept going. It's always held a very special place in my heart so when I found some of the old files on my hard drive, I figured what the hell I need to have some fun. I was young when I wrote this so it's not meant to be taken too seriously, but I finished it and hopefully a little bit cleaned up. Most of it's staying the same. **

**Chapter 1: How it Began**

**Once upon a time, James Potter met Lily Evans and it definitely wasn't love at first sight. In fact they spent the next six years trying to kill each other and anyone stupid enough to get caught in the cross fire. You don't believe me? Well, let me show you how it all started…**

"LILY!"

"What?"

"Will you cut it out?!"

"What?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"James, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't talk sweet with me!"

"James, I wish you would tell me what you're talking about."

"YOU! YOU!" James Potter, Hogwart's Most EligibleBachelor, Head Boy and Quidditch Captain was far too furious to speak. He kicked against the bonds that tied him to the ceiling but even for a seventeen-year-old as strong as him the bonds wouldn't budge. That was because of the girl that sat calmly reading her book in an armchair just below him.

It was Lily Evans charm master, first in her class, and current Head Girl. Even the strongest person wouldn't be able to get free once she decided to hex you.

She yawned and brushed back dark red hair that shined in the warm firelight. James was annoying her so she casually sent a muting charm his way.

"MMMMMMHPH!" James screeched.

Lily just couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing before her lungs broke from holding it in. Lily laughed and giggled as James got more and more angry and all Lily could do was laugh.

"MMMMMMMMPH!" James kept repeating but that was about as much he could say.

Lily fell out of the chair in a heap, dropping the book that she had been pretending to read while trying to hold in her laughter. It was just too funny. Tears leaked out of the side of her eyes because she was laughing so hard as she once again glanced up at her victim. James Potter would never get out of those bonds unless someone did the counter curse. Which Lily hoped wouldn't be very soon. She certainly wasn't planning on letting him free.

When she had woken up this morning she found six snakes that slithered about in her bed leaving a trail of sticky green liquid wherever they went. Lily couldn't do anything and the sticky liquid was all over her and her bed. Not too mention that she hated snakes.

Lily had finally stopped them with a freezing charm and accidentally injured one. Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, found out that it was Lily who had brought back the rare snakes and assumed that she had stolen them from his classroom and injured one.

Lily had tried to explain but the professor would simply not take her excuses. She had sworn as soon as she left the classroom with three detentions that she would hurt James Potter really bad when she found him.

And look where he was now!

"Serves him right that four-eyed git!" Lily muttered, grinning. She wiped tears from her cheeks because she had been laughing so hard.

"MMMMMMMMM"

"Oh shut up it won't do any good!" Lily yelled at him.

The messy black haired boy glared at her. His normally amused brown eyes full of mischief were now filled with hatred for the damn monster of a girl that called herself Lily.

But he kept his mouth shut even though the swears and curses and insults were all in his head and were fighting the curse with all his might. It wouldn't do any good to say them now when she couldn't hear him. He would say it later when someone came and let him down. Hopefully that would be sometime soon.

"That's much better. You know I would never let you down in a million years. So get comfortable because you're going to be up there a long time if I can help it." Cold emerald green eyes stared up at him.

She grinned maliciously, and satisfied with the silence that had now settled upon the room, she walked away.

And there James Potter was, stuck up on the ceiling. And Lily Evans was about the only person in the whole world who didn't give a crap.

Lily headed for the portrait of the Fat Lady. She opened it and stepped out into the hallway. She grinned. She was satisfied with her work. That would stop James Potter.

At least for a little while…

For almost seven years now, Lily and James had had a heated rivalry between them. It was only because when they were younger James had played one too many tricks on her and well, you know how red heads tempers go.

Well, Lily just wouldn't back down like all the other girls who went googly eyes over him. So she got revenge. And then he had pulled some more pranks on her and then she pranked him back. It just went on forever.

No one seemed to care any more except them two. They just kept at it while others shook their head and muttered how stupid and childish it was.

"He/She is the idiot childish one!" They would always yell in unison when someone mentioned this.

And so life went on.

"Hi Lily," Sirius Black said as he passed her in the hall on his way to the common room.

"Hi." Lily smiled and waved back a little over enthusiastically. That should have been the first warning: Lily Evans acting nicely and all happy about something.

"Something's up," Sirius muttered.

"You're telling me," Remus said, coming up behind him.

"She's never that happy," Sirius said.

Remus nodded in agreement wondering what was wrong with her this time when he suddenly put the clues together.

"Where's James?" Sirius asked moments before Remus was about to ask the same thing.

They shared a glance.

Lily had done something to James. And it wasn't good that was for sure. Sirius and Remus went racing for the common room to see what poor fate their friend had come to.

"Pickle Head!" Sirius said to the portrait. Slowly it swung open. Sirius and Remus raced inside.

They glanced quickly around the common room, looking over the couches and chairs, but found nothing. All they heard was a strange muffled noise coming from somewhere.

"Is James making out with a girl?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged. He could be.

"Lily wouldn't be happy if he was."

"You're right," Remus agreed, checking behind the couches and chairs just in case.

But James was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe you should check in the dormitories?" Someone suggested.

The two boys nodded, thinking that the suggestion was a grand idea, and hurried up stairs.

Too bad for them, because the person who made the suggestion was none other than Lily Evans.

Lily Evans watched as the two ran for the dormitory. She just leaned against the wall and smiled. She glanced upward and winked.

Then she took out her wand and sent a charm toward the boy's dormitory door that had just closed. It was a locking charm.

Poor Sirius and Remus were trapped inside of the dormitories.

"MMMMMM!" He couldn't stand her. How could she be soooooo evil and be in Griffindor, the same house as he and his friends?

"You didn't think I'd forget about them." She merely stated, before turning and walking out of the common room. Now that that was settled no one would be able to set James free unless someone intelligent came along, and she had already gotten rid of two of them.

"Sirius!"

"What?"

"The door's locked."

"What are you talking about?"

"I said the door's locked. I can't open it!" Remus informed him again. James wasn't here that was for sure.

"Darnn!" Sirius swore as he fumbled with the door knob that wouldn't budge.

"We're stuck in here," Remus moaned.

"But we can't be locked in unless someone sent a charm..." He broke off and looked at Remus, reading his mind.

"LIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLYYYYYYY!"

Lily just laughed and marched out of the common room, listening to the screams like it was music to her ears.

Peter Pettigrew was the first to arrive back at the common room. And you can imagine what kind of a sight he found.

Someone was banging on the ceiling and going "MMMMMMMM!" and fighting against ropes that held him there. He looked like a crazy mummy and Peter Pettigrew at first thought that it was just that until he saw the messy black hair.

"James?" Peter asked incredulously, but his attention was caught by the screams that were coming from his dormitory.

"LLLLLLLIIIIILLLLLYYYY!"

"That ignorant git!"

"LIIIIIILLLLLYYYY!"

"I hate her!

"She's an evil little stupid ugly girl who is ignorant and idiotic and…"

Peter opened the dormitory door and Remus stumbled out. But Sirius didn't appear to notice.

"…malicious and sneaky…"

"Sirius you can come out now," Remus said.

"And she has a big nose, and Ill never date her, even if she is kind of pretty, but she's just awful!"

"SIIIRIIIUUSS!"

"What?"

"You can come out now."

"Oh." And Sirius Black finally stepped out of the dormitory.

"Gosh, Sirius you seemed pretty busy insulting Lily. What happened?" Peter asked. He didn't realize that the door had been locked from the inside.

"Well, we came to find James because Lily was happy and smiling…"

"I don't see anything wrong with her being happy," Peter interrupted.

"When Lily's happy James is close to death. And she was really happy so he might be dead right now," Sirius continued.

"No, he always manages to survive to play more pranks on her," Remus said.

"Well, anyway she locked us in the dormitory," Sirius said.

"And we better find James." Remus said as they walked back into the common room.

"Where could he be?" Sirius wondered.

"MMMMMMMMM!"

"Hmmmmm."

"MMMMMMMMMM!"

"I guess he's not here," Remus sighed.

"We'll look somewhere else," Sirius suggested.

"Guys."

"Peter, don't interrupt. He's obviously not here."

"Guys I'm -"

"Shut up, Peter! Now what were you saying Moony."

"Guys! James is..."

"Shut up, please, we're trying to think."

"BUT JAMES IS RIGHT THERE!"

"Huh?" Sirius and Remus turned to Peter at the same moment.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPPHHHHH HHHHHHHH!" The angry noise was coming from the ceiling. All three exchanged glances, then Sirius said.

"Let me guess, James?"

They all looked up. Sure enough there was James Potter on the ceiling.

Helpless…

"Lets take the muting charm off the poor guy," Remus said, trying to hold in his laughter at the sight of James.

Sirius was snickering and James was getting more and more angry, kicking at the ceiling.

"Okay." Sirius sent the charm at James and you can probably guess what the first words were out of his mouth...

"LLLLLLLLIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

**And that was where they began… But don't worry, this story isn't over yet. **


	2. Detention

**Cursed**

**By Hazelmist**

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the Reviews! I wasn't sure what kind of response I would get, but this is far better then what I expected. Sorry the last chapter was so short, this one isn't much longer I'm afraid. I hope you like it!**

**Summary: Telling James Potter off had always been easy. They had always hated each other. Then why was he looking at her in that way? And why couldn't she turn him down just this once. It was supposed to be simple, but a detention and a spell changed everything for Lily and James.**

**Chapter 2: Detention**

"Mr. Potter. Where is your Transfiguration essay?" Professor McGonagall asked the following morning, glaring through her spectacles at James.

"Er, well, it's a long story Professor. You see, Lily Evans sent a spell at me, and I got tied up…"

"I don't want to hear your excuses. Especially anything that involves you trying to blame it on another student."

"No, wait! I was on the ceiling, tied up, and I couldn't get down!" James said truthfully.

There were some laughs from a few people and someone remarked, "Some people will try anything to get out of doing homework."

"You were on the ceiling? That's why you didn't do your homework? Let me guess, someone tied you up there and you were unable to get free, so you should be excused form your homework." The Professor was trying hard not to sound amused.

"Exactly!" James said, relieved. She actually believed him for once!

"That will be three detentions."

"What!?" James exclaimed.

"One, for not turning in the homework, another for telling a most absurd unbelievable lie, and three for blaming another student." It was finalized.

Lily grinned as James sat down in his seat, but not before he threw her a glare.

Class finally ended and all of the students made a rush for the door since lunch was the next thing, and of course everyone looks forward to lunch.

James followed his friends, staring at the two detentions that he had gotten. He didn't mind getting detentions but those were for pranks. He could stand those. It was part of the fun. But getting a detention because someone pranked you, that was different. It was especially upsetting when it was Lily Evans that had done this.

Speaking of our subject, she made her way over to James.

"The things people come up with to get out of homework," she muttered, smirking as she brushed past him.

Before he could prepare a comeback, she was gone.

"That little – ugh!" James grumbled.

"I think Sirius already told us everything that Lily is yesterday," Remus said, grinning.

"Sorry, I beat you to it." Sirius beamed unapologetically.

"And he thinks she's pretty!" Remus announced loudly.

"I did not say that!" Sirius protested.

"You did!" Remus insisted.

"He did," Peter chimed in, agreeing with Remus.

"Yeah!"

"NO!"

"Yeah!"

"No!"

"Oh, come on, Padfoot, it's two against one. Both Peter and I heard you."

"Fine! I think she's pretty!" Sirius threw up his hands in surrender.

"But who doesn't?" he asked, slyly.

"Awww, that's just sick," James groaned, making a gagging noise.

"Well, actually…" Remus trailed off.

"Don't tell me you like her too, Moony," James begged, exasperated. He couldn't believe they actually thought this despicable girl was anything other than an evil monster.

"James, you have to admit. Even though she's not nice she's definitely pretty," Sirius said and Remus nodded along with him. James just stared at them as if they had both grown an extra head.

"You guys are SICK!" He shook his head and stormed off.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Remus asked.

"Anywhere but here. I need to get those awful ideas of yours out of my mind," James called over his shoulder, before jogging off. In a moment he was lost in the crowd.

James wandered outside the castle doors, letting himself out into a pool of sunlight and a pretty good view of everything outside of Hogwarts. He was always mystified every time he saw once more how large Hogwarts really was. Everyone would laugh at him and say it wasn't really that big.

A certain red head though had nearly fell out of the first year boats a long while back because of Hogwarts' large and magnificent beauty. But of course James failed to remember this similarity between him and Lily. Anything similar between them was quickly pushed away from their thoughts. The fact that they could be enemies and yet so alike, it was hard to believe.

He glanced at the detentions in his hand. He had one tonight at 8 o'clock. Professor McGonagall was to meet him at her classroom and he would be given instructions from there.

"I wonder what I'll be doing this time. Can't be that bad since I think Sirius has helped me get into every kind of detention there is," James muttered, grinning.

Oh, but it was going to be bad..._.really_ bad! If only James knew what would happen that very night…

* * *

"Hey, Lily, what times your detention tonight?" Diane asked Lily. The two Gryffindor girls were eating together in the Great Hall later that day.

"Eight o'clock," Lily replied. She shoveled some food into her mouth before glancing over at her best friend Diane.

"Why?" she asked Diane suspiciously.

"Oh, I was just curious." Diane brushed it off, but she nervously ran a hand through her short curly blond hair.

Something was up.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"Nothing," Diane assured her, smiling. Then she began to eat also. Diane told herself not to worry about it but still she couldn't help but think of what kind of a night Lily was going to have.

"I hope she doesn't kill him," Sirius, seated on her other side, whispered to Diane. He knew exactly why she was so worried. Lily and James in the same room was never a good thing. One of them would curse the other immediately and then it would never stop.

"I'm more worried about him killing her," Diane mumbled.

"Maybe they'll take there wands away," Sirius suggested, trying to cheer Diane up.

"Probably. But still I'm afraid of what will happen when they have no wands. They might turn to other methods of killing. Like physical violence. And words. Gosh, they know a lot of insults," Diane said, shuddering at certain memories.

"Oh, well. I'm glad I won't be there."

"You and me both," Diane agreed with him. Then they both chuckled and returned to their meal.

* * *

Classes ended soon enough and Lily found herself marching off to the dormitories to drop off her books and what not. She figured she would try to finish some of her homework before she had to go to detention. She had to meet McGonagall at 8 pm in the Transfiguration classroom.

"Who knows what I'll have to do for detention," she grumbled as she finished her Charms essay. It was a piece of cake since Lily was at the top of that class.

Little did she know…

* * *

"I can't believe I have detention. Not for doing a prank but for someone doing a prank on me!" James exclaimed for the hundredth time to his three friends (the only ones who would listen to him). His fan club had disappeared.

He stood up, paced over to the fire, and stared into its ever growing fiery depths. It flickered and moved, throwing light upon his face and shadows. He just couldn't get over it. And he had no idea why. He usually only got one or two detentions for a prank but three was unheard of! The Professor must have been in a really bad mood.

"Hey, cheer up! Detention isn't that bad. I've had nearly 200 of them so I would know that," Sirius reminded him. He had the record for most detentions. He probably even had more than that. He just lost count.

"Yeah, you're right." James walked back over to the table and returned to his Charms essay.

* * *

It was an hour later when both James and Lily had to separate themselves from their homework and head down to detention.

Lily left first. She walked out of the common room, right past James, and opened the portrait before disappearing into the shadowy hallways. James didn't seem to notice this. And thankfully he didn't know that Lily had gotten not one, or two, but _three_ detentions from Professor Kettleburn.

James left second. He bade his friends goodbye and then headed out into the hallways on his way to the Transfiguration classroom.

"Ah, you're here Miss Evans," Professor McGonagall greeted Lily as she walked into the classroom. Lily nodded but was lost for words at the moment. So she awkwardly sat down at one of the desks up front and waited for her instructions. But none came. Professor McGonagall mumbled something about turning a boy into a pocket watch and then resumed her state watching the doorway. Lily then realized that she was waiting for another student.

"Hope it's not Snape," Lily grumbled under her breath. She was remembering clearly a time in her third year when the two of them had been paired together because James got them both in trouble. Unfortunately, instead of bonding because of their mutual hatred for James Potter, Lily and Snape reacted in a completely opposite manner. They both started name calling each other and fighting, and Lily developed a hatred for Snape also from that day on. She had a lot of enemies. Lily laughed at the observation.

"Where have you been, gallivanting down the halls? I suppose you thought you could blame that on another student too!" Professor McGonagall was scolding a student out in the hall. Lily grinned, remembering what had happened in Transfiguration earlier that day.

"Wait a second, when does James have detention?" She thought to herself. The answer came almost immediately.

"I'm sorry professor, but I was just walking, and then well, I had to..." The voice trailed off as the boy walked in and froze at the sight of her. Lily struggled for breath. Her anger was so strong and sudden that she was about to burst. She turned as red as her hair and the boy's eyes narrowed to slits of pure hatred.

"YOU!" they both yelled in unison.

Professor McGonagall took one look at the two students and gave them a sharp warning glare. But neither of them saw her do this. The professor sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do. They were going to have to learn to get along sooner or later.

You see, Lily and James were both very powerful and intelligent when it came to wizards and witches. They were at the top of their classes and for years Headmaster Dumbledore and the Deputy Headmistress had kept their eyes on these two. It really was a shame that they didn't get along. They would have been the perfect team. No doubt that they would be taken into the ministry as soon as they graduated.

"I can't believe I have detention with you!"

"Well, it's your fault that we have it together!"

"No, it's yours!"

"No, it's _your_ fault!"

Their voices were rising steadily.

"No!"

"It's YOUR FAULT!"

"Uh, _uh_!"

"Yeah, _huh_!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"It's your fault!"

"Yes, I mean, no, it's yours."

The professor sighed. They were hopeless. Why did Dumbledore ever think this idea would work?

"You're the one that put the snakes in _my_ bed! So it's your fault!"

"But then _you_ tied me to the ceiling so I couldn't do my homework! So it's your fault!"

"I think it's both of your faults. Now will you both just calm down for a moment. For goodness sake, you two are making a racket!" The Professor shouted, glaring at them with her all too famous glare. She was losing patience fast with these two.

"He needs to calm down."

"No, she does, professor."

"He is making the racket."

"No, she is."

"Be quiet or you get three more detentions."

"He is."

"_Together_."

James and Lily both looked like they were about to continue, but they both shut up immediately when they heard the word _together_. There was no way they would be spending another moment with each other if they didn't have to.

Silence enveloped the room. You could have heard a pin drop. Professor McGonagall mumbled something that sounded like "it works every time". Though she hadn't expected them to get this quiet, it was now silent. But at least it was better then listening to them.

"Alright, now for your detention. You two must transfigure these fifty chairs into wooden crates."

"Er, professor?"

"Yes, Lily."

"We haven't learned that yet."

"Yes, you're right. That's why I'm making you do this. Consider this as a test of your intelligence and an attempt to get you two to stop getting detentions. Maybe this will help your friend Mr. Black also," Professor added as an after thought, because dear Merlin that boy spent more time in detention than he did in classes.

"But Professor McGonagall, I'm no good at Transfiguration," Lily complained. But James was. Lily could see him smiling smugly out of the corner of her eye. Lily scowled. This was going to be torture.

"That's why Mr. Potter is going to help you."

"NO!" The two of them yelled. For two that hated each other so much, they sure did say the same thing at the same time, a lot.

"You two will work together and I should hear nothing when I come in to check on you two from time to time."

"Is that clear?!" Professor McGonagall, asked, raising her voice ever so slightly.

"Yes," they both answered.

The Professor stared at the two of them for a moment more and then left the room. Lily and James remained frozen and silent as they listened to the footsteps echoing down the hall. Slowly they died away to nothing and that's when the war broke out.

"Transfiguring fifty chairs! You call that FUN! Thanks, a whole lot, James. Thanks, a whole LOT!" Lily's yell was the first to shatter the silence.

"Well, I don't find it any more enjoyable then you," James snapped, folding his arms over his chest. "Though, I actually pay attention in Transfiguration and get the grades!"

"You're gloating as usual! Is that all you ever do, gloat?" she snarled. "And yet everyone falls for your stupid old charm which is really just a veil over the real you. The one that is good for nothing!" she continued, furious.

"Well, at least I don't-" James attempted to cut in, but Lily went on ranting.

"I actually work for my grades! Unlike you! You go gallivanting off in the middle of the night and set pranks all over the school! Then all those silly girls do your homework for you! You don't do anything. You're just a good for nothing jerk!" Lily screamed. Her words echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the walls, and the floor, and the ceiling. James just stood there with his mouth agape.

Lily threw back her hair and spun on heel. But then she realized that she was stuck in detention, thanks to him. So she stormed across the room and sat down in one of the chairs they were supposed to be transfiguring. She realized it was facing him, so she got up and turned the chair, so that her back was to him when she sat down once again.

James decided to keep his mouth shut. He was surprised that Lily had actually shut up. And for once he didn't put in his two cents, but favored the deadly silence that had resumed in the room. Perhaps it was better this way, he thought. Come to think of it, he and Lily rarely tried ignoring each other. They always had something to say to each other (even if it was ALWAYS bad).

"Fine," James muttered under his breath. He grabbed a chair on the opposite side of the room and turned it around so that he was facing the corner and had his back to her as well. He didn't want to have to look at her ugly face. He crossed his arms over his chest and resumed his sulking in silence.

"Fine!" she said just loud enough so he could hear. She too crossed her arms across her chest, and raved silently, and sulked about James Potter and the horrible detention he had gotten her into. No matter what he said it was all his fault. She had proof.

Lily ran a hand across her neck until she found the small indent that was a carefully hidden scar. The good work of Madam Pomfrey. It was also the great work of James Potter.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

_"Oh, my God! Look at Lily!"_

_There was loud laughter, and jeers, and taunts._

_"Hey! Look at that girl!"_

_There was more laughter and several people rolling on the floor because they were laughing so hard. Tears were in their eyes. But Lily's vision was blurry, even though she wasn't laughing to the point of tears. Lily could feel her eyes burning, and feel the heat and humiliation rising in her about to form into a river of tears._

_And then there was the loudest one of all. James Potter._

_"Look at her. She's going to blubber!" Then he fell hopelessly to the ground and surrendered to laughter. But Lily was running and running and running..._

* * *

"Lily, are you going to sit there all day or are you going to start transfiguring chairs into boxes?" an angry voice cut through the memory.

Lily's head snapped up. She was still touching the scar as she got up from her seat. She just stood there for a moment.

James looked at her. She was in some kind of a daze.

Lily looked up and scowled because he was looking at her queerly.

"Why haven't you done anything yet then?" she demanded.

"Because I wanted to see you do it first since you work for your grades and I do absolutely nothing," James said, lazily.

"Oh, shut up!" Lily snapped.

"Well..." James tapped his foot impatiently and looked from her to the chairs expectantly.

"You go first," Lily choked the words out as if it was being forced.

"Fine. But are you sure? I mean surely you know this better than I, James Potter, who goes gallivanting around the school playing pranks and -"

"Shut up! I told you to go first," Lily cut in.

"So, you're admitting that the almighty and all-knowing Lily Evans actually needs the help of I, James Potter," he drawled. Lily was really getting angry. She was fully out of her daze now. He could see the real her coming alive and about to jump up and strangle him. That was the Lily Evans he was used to. James grinned.

Lily remained silent. But she was about ready to let loose her wrath in about ten seconds.

10

9

"Say it, Lily. I need to hear you say it."

8

"Lily, I've heard you speak before."

7

6

"Say it! I. Need. James. Potter. Come on, repeat after me!"

5

"Because he is the greatest guy alive and -"

4

"- he knows transfiguration better than-"

3

"- Lily Evans."

2

"I don't hear you, Lily!"

Lily gripped her wand.

1

Lily had no idea what she was doing. But after that one second, she raised her wand quick as lightening and shot a flowing line of red and orange sparks towards James. Lily wasn't even aware of what curse she was putting on James, as it seemed every single charm, curse, and hex she had ever done before was jumbling around in her brain. But somehow at least one of the spells had gotten through.

Lily watched in awe as the sparks hit James and sent him flying across the room with such a force that he knocked over three chairs without even touching them. He fell slumped against the wall hidden in a cloud of smoke and the fading red and orange sparks. Lily couldn't even see him anymore.

Lily's mouth fell open. Where had she learned to do that? If that happened every day to Lily Evans, James Potter would have been dead a long time ago.

Lily shakily lowered her wand when she realized that it was still out. She carefully replaced her wand in her pocket, but not before she had a chance to admire the smoking point.

Then, she turned her attention to the chairs. Two of them had fell so hard, blown over in the wake of her powerful whatever it was, that they had splintered and were no longer chairs but a pile of wood. The other one only had one leg still on.

"Whoa!" Lily whispered. She didn't even want to see what she had done to James. But sooner or later she would have to see the results.

Slowly, Lily turned her head toward the smoky corner of the classroom where James had fallen. She walked forward wondering what she would find.

Lily found herself a few steps away from the smoke that James was hidden behind. For the first time in her whole life she was concerned about James. Well, she wouldn't call it concerned. She just didn't want to get in trouble with the teacher for nearly killing a student. Suddenly, she stopped short and gasped.

The smoke had cleared.

**A/N**: James was…DEAD! THE END. I'm only joking. The next chapter will be up soon. Reviews are appreciated!


	3. Memories

**Cursed**

**By Hazelmist**

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I loved reading them. I'm sorry this is sort of delayed. I didn't have much time this week to post it. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, you know that and I know that so why I'm even putting this in here I have no idea.**

**Chapter 3: Memories**

James Potter was lying on the floor. His eyes were closed and it appeared that Lily had knocked him out cold. He must have hit the wall really hard because Lily saw blood trickling down the back of his neck. Nasty looking boils had sprung up all over his hands and neck, and that wasn't even the worst of it. James looked to sum it up, like he was in very bad shape.

Lily didn't know what to do. But suddenly she found herself down on her knees, looking James over. She couldn't believe it was her that had done this to him. His hair was gray. Lily hastily did a charm to reverse it without thinking. But nothing happened. She reached out a hand and touched the now gray hair. It had once been black. Lily wished it had remained black, she had liked it better that way.

Lily looked at her victim with pity. She lifted his hand gently and felt for a pulse. There was one.

"What am I thinking? I'm a witch!" she recalled.

"_Enervate_," she said, pointing her wand at him. The spell hit him but he did not wake.

"_Enervate_!" She tried again. But James wasn't waking up.

"_Enervate_!"

"_ENERVATE_!" she yelled, but it was hopeless. Frustrated, she dropped the wand and let her head fall into her hands. She was in so much trouble. This was detention and she had messed it up in more than one way.

"Oh, crap! Now, what am I going to do? It's either my wand or it's James'," she said, biting her lip and knowing of course that her wand was probably fine.

"I'll just try a different spell, just to prove that my wand must have malfunctioned after I did that to him."

She pointed her wand at the chair.

"_Regalon_!" The chair turned blue. That was what was supposed to happen. Her wand wasn't broken. She decided to try one more spell.

"_Grellionsen_!" She pointed the wand at her hair saying the all too familiar spell. James was always turning her hair green. Her hair was green. She tried to wake James up again, but the spell failed once more to have any kind of effect on him.

"Oh, no! James, please wake up!" she begged him. She shook him gently. McGonagall would be back here any second and Lily would be in big trouble!

"James!" Lily poked him with her wand. She prodded him a little harder, but no change surfaced. He just lay there as if he was dead.

"James come on, wake up!" Lily pleaded with him. She knew he couldn't hear her, but that didn't stop her from trying.

"James Potter, if you don't wake up I swear I'll -" she faltered, unable to think of anything that would make him wake up. He was in a wonderful position. All he had to do was tell the professor what Lily had done to him when he woke up.

"I'm in_ so_ much trouble!" She rocked back and forth uneasily. There was no solution.

"I hope I put a memory charm on you also!" she hissed, glaring at him.

James Potter would have loved to have been awake during this. Lily Evans was begging and pleading with him to wake up, and vowing to do anything if he would just open his eyes and be okay. It was priceless. But unfortunately for both of them, he was unconscious. She was frustrated now. He always messed up everything. _Everything_! Lily growled and tried once more in her coldest voice.

"James, if you don't get up this instant I'll -"

"Lily Evans, what on earth are you doing?"

Lily froze. She recognized the stern voice that was now harsher than ever. It cut through her like a knife as she realized what was going to happen. She was going to be expelled! She shut her eyes and thought, "Oh, god, please no! It can't be McGonagall, it can't be." Now she sounded like Sirius when he was younger and about to be hauled in for another detention.

"Let me guess. She's right behind me," Sirius would always say with a nervous grin on his face, and sure enough, McGonagall would always be there.

Lily couldn't believe that this was actually happening to her. And it was all James' fault.

Taking a deep breath, Lily turned around to face the professor.

Professor McGonagall _was_ standing there, looking very surprised and confused. Lily bowed her head unable to look the professor in the eye or bear the harsh words that would follow once she saw James and realized what Lily had done.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Professor McGonagall finally asked.

"Sorry, professor," Lily apologized, and the excuses started flowing into her brain as she stood up.

What could she say? She had honestly lost control. But should she lie and say that his own wand had backfired on him? Or she could tell her that she had been threatened and provoked, which was the closest to the truth, but McGonagall wouldn't go for that one. Or she could say she was just trying to transform the chair and messed up. "That's what I'll say, I'll fail Transfiguration, but I definitely won't be expelled," Lily decided silently. Lily thought this over carefully, choosing the most persuasive words.

"What have you done to your hair child?" Professor McGonagall asked, staring at her bright green hair and trying hard not to let a smile slip. Lily had completely forgotten about her hair, but at the moment she was more preoccupied with James and saving herself from expulsion.

"Never mind. That color doesn't suit you, and I have a strong suspicion that Mr. Potter may have a fondness of that color on you." She waved her wand and immediately Lily's hair changed back to red.

"Now, where is James Potter?" she asked, returning to her business-like tone.

Lily bowed her head and shuffled slowly to the side, so that the Professor could see what had once been James Potter. She cringed, waiting for a gasp, a scream, or a scolding and a trip to Professor Dumbledore's office to decide her fate. But none came.

Lily raised her eyes. Professor McGonagall was still looking at her oddly.

"Well, Lily. Are you going to tell me where he is? It's not like he disappeared." Professor McGonagall looked down at her with a piercing gaze. She didn't like games and the game that Lily and James were playing was something new to her and it was giving her a headache.

Lily looked up at her professor puzzled, and then turned around. The mangled ugly scarred boy that was James, was still there. Why was McGonagall talking about him disappearing? He was right there!

She must not recognize him. Lily almost snickered aloud. Now, she was overjoyed that James had luckily decided to stay unconscious, because she could use this to her advantage. A plan was already forming in her mind, but before she could speak a word, McGonagall's confusion progressed to anger.

"He skipped out on detention, didn't he? I should have known he would try that old trick again!" The Professor became angrier with every word. It seemed like a thing that James would do. The Transfiguration professor, who had had Lily and James in class every year, knew the Marauders and their tricks well. She was far from stupid and had developed a knack (that seemed to grow stronger every year) for spotting the trouble they liked to cause, often before it happened.

Lily didn't really know what to do. James was still on the ground right behind her. Lily crossed her fingers, hoping that he was unconscious during all this. Or otherwise he was going to be very, VERY mad. And Lily knew that James Potter was always fierce when it came to revenge.

"I must go find the little devil. But it's impossible. I put up almost every barrier and charm that I could think of. I would have thought, after making James Head Boy, that it would be Sirius that would do something like this. Those Marauders are more work in one day then a regular class for an entire year. I don't think anyone has ever been this unruly in the history of Hogwarts…" With that the Transfiguration teacher walked out, grumbling to herself, and Lily was forgotten.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Lily breathed, relieved. She definitely hadn't expected that.

With a sigh she sat down on the floor. There was really nothing she could do. She stared at James and a sudden thought came to her that hit her over the head like a hammer.

"Could Professor McGonagall even see him?"

Lily pushed this thought around in her head, jumbled up with all the other things that were suddenly rushing into her mind. Had she really done several powerful spells and combined them into one hex?

Invisibility was an advanced spell that not many students were ever able to project over such a large object as another body for such a long period of time. Only half would successfully manage to vanish something as small as a matchstick. Lily, though, who was an expert in Charms, had done very well with that particular spell. She could keep it on herself effectively for over thirty minutes

So, if that was right, this spell could wear off anywhere between ten and thirty minutes. Until then, Lily didn't know what she was going to do with James Potter. As soon as he woke up, she was sure he was going to kill her or tell McGonagall everything she'd done to him. Lily didn't know which was worse, death by Potter or expulsion from Hogwarts and the magical world she'd grown to love. Her only hope was that James wouldn't be able to prove it, and so she had to find a way to fix this fast. Oh, how she hated him! She sighed and sat down once more on the ground, hoping that an idea would come to her.

She searched her mind for a similar situation that she had been in. Instead a flood of memories were triggered. Memories that she had desperately wanted to forget flooded into Lily's mind, clouding her vision.

Lily attempted to push them away, but it was too late. The dam that had been holding them back for so long had finally broken loose. And a past that Lily had wanted to forget and pretend never happened appeared before her.

* * *

***FLASHBACK*  
**  
_Lily was eleven years old again. She stood beside her parents more nervous than a trembling mouse under the glare of a treacherous cat ready to pounce._

_"Lily are you sure you'll be okay?" her mother asked. Lily had never gone to boarding school. She had always came home from school every day after school and had had the weekends to herself. So this was a big step for her._

_"Yeah, I think I will," Lily croaked. Putting on a brave smile, she kissed her parents on the cheek and said her last goodbyes._

_After a final exchange of insults with her annoying older sister Petunia, Lily sent them off. She figured she could find her way to the train from here. She watched as her parents walked away, after much convincing and tears. They turned around and waved, and then finally exited her vision. She wouldn't see them again until Christmas. Lily could feel the tears stinging at her eyes and she hadn't even got to Hogwarts yet._

_"Come on, Lily! Pull yourself together. You'll make new friends and you'll have a great time, learning all sorts of magic," she instructed herself. She pulled the ticket from her pocket with a new smile forming on her face which instantly disappeared when she saw the Platform number._

_"Oh, no. How am I supposed to find platform number 9 and 3 quarters when it doesn't even exist?" Lily moaned. She remembered the brick tapping that the man had done in Diagon Alley in order for her to get in. But she couldn't remember it. And that probably had nothing to do with this._

_"Hey, you need some help?" a boy asked._

_"Yeah," Lily said a little over excited. "Help would be great."_

_She turned to the boy who had messy black hair and glasses. It was a younger James Potter._

_"Well, all you have to do is go to the barrier between platforms 8 and 7. You know, the ticket stand? Then just start saying, I adore James Potter at the top of your lungs," the boy said._

_"Huh?"_

_The boy explained it all again until Lily understood, but there was something weird about this._

_"Don't worry, no one will hear you, and that's what all the muggle first years have to do."_

_"Muggle?"_

_"Non-magical people. Your parents aren't a witch or a wizard, correct?" the boy asked. Lily nodded, realizing that he must be right. Still, she hesitated._

_"Are you sure that's how you get on the platform?"_

_"I'm a pure-blooded wizard, trust me." He smiled a charming smile that Lily took as encouragement. She smiled back._

_"Okay, I'll try it." Then she walked off heading for platform 8 and 7. It made no sense but he knew what he was doing supposedly and she didn't. So she was just going to have to listen._

_"It's stupid really," she muttered under her breath. But she wanted to get on to the platform._

_Lily pushed the cart right up to the ticket stand. She glanced up and saw that she was just where she needed to be, between platform 8 and 7._

_Lily was too busy concentrating to see that there were quite a few people staring at her, since she was holding up an entire line of people waiting to buy tickets._

_"Alright, once I get this over with I will be fine, just fine. I'll be on the train on my way to Hogwarts, and I will never have to worry about this again." Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could now feel several pairs of eyes on her that didn't make it any easier for her to do this ridiculous thing._

_"I ADORE JAMES POTTER!"_

_Lily's voice rang out throughout the station. It was louder then she could ever imagine. Almost as if someone had magnified it. That was probably just the effects of getting onto the platform._

_Lily slowly opened her eyes. She was hoping to see a platform filled with people and a scarlet train called the Hogwarts express like she'd read about. But Lily saw none of this._

_All she saw was what seemed like hundreds of eyes upon her. Lily felt her face get red as her hair. It hadn't worked. Was it all a lie? Or maybe she wasn't a witch at all._

_But three people particularly were laughing. Lily turned her attention onto the three boys that were about her age. There was the messy haired boy with the glasses, rolling on the ground and laughing with two other boys._

_Lily recognized him immediately. Some people say to this day that smoke seemed to be coming from her ears as she marched over to the three boys, one boy in particular actually._

_Lily stood over them with her hands on her hips and her face contorted in anger, embarrassment and humiliation like never before. She had only eyes for James Potter (and not in a good way)._

_He finally rolled over onto his back, keeping his eyes open long enough to recognize that it was her. But he couldn't help it. It was just too funny. The look on her face was priceless._

_James eventually managed to sit up with the help of his two friends. He was still laughing uncontrollably. Everyone could tell that this was James Potter and it was definitely him that had told the poor girl to humiliate herself._

_But Lily surprised him. She yanked him to his feet with a strength that James could only guess came with a red head's temper gone too far._

_James knew he had gone too far then. He tried to stop laughing but he couldn't._

_"I don't even know who you are! I can only guess that you are James Potter!" Lily spat. All eyes were on her now. Even James was watching her._

_"But you are a cruel, inconsiderate, idiotic, dumb, stupid, ugly, four-eyed, horrible, terrible, awful loser, and a complete git! And I suggest you get a comb for your hair!" Lily was still gripping him by the scruff of his neck._

_James thought that was it. Lily let go of him and then started to walk away. He sighed in relief. But quick as a flash, Lily turned and did something that no girl had dared to do before._

_Lily brought back her hand and slapped him right across the cheek. The crowd gasped as the young red head just stared at the boy for a moment as he massaged his cheek. She seemed satisfied when his cheek began to turn red in the shape of a hand print, and with a final glare, she dropped her hand and stepped back._

_"You…you…" James was at a loss for words. He was realizing that he actually deserved it. But James Potter had never been slapped before and it mattered little to him that that had been one of his worst tricks._

_"You deserved that!" the girl yelled. She turned on heel and went back to her trolley, listening to his stutters as he tried to prove her wrong with no success._

_That was only the first step in their relationship. (It's still a relationship even though they don't get along)_

_There were still many more steps and moments to come..._

* * *

_Once again Lily was eleven-years old. It was only a few days after the James Potter "incident". Lily had been sorted into Gryffindor at the sorting ceremony. The same house James Potter had been sorted into a few minutes later. There was no escape. He and his two friends (now there were three) were in all of her classes and there was no way she could avoid him. All hopes that she would never see him again were banished when the hat shouted Gryffindor as soon as it touched his head._

_Now whispers and laughs followed her to class. People would point and giggle, telling their friend in a voice they thought that she couldn't hear "there's that girl who loves James Potter!" followed by a loud fit of laughter._

_Lily was still humiliated and embarrassed by the incident. Her face was nearly always red, giving her the nick name "tomato face". Lily would hurry to her classes and then hurry back to the dormitory, shutting herself up behind the curtains of her bed. She was miserable and lonely. Secretly she longed for a friend. But it seemed that everywhere she turned, they were laughing at her._

_"Class dismissed," Professor Binns announced in his usual dull voice._

_Lily leapt up from her seat and hurriedly pushed past the others, fighting to get to the Great Hall first so she could wolf down her dinner and then hurry to her dormitory. Lily hadn't been going to meals. And when she did she made sure that she was either there late or early. She had found that the earlier she was the better. Less people, less laughs._

_Lily marched down the hall, nearly running to the Great Hall, but just before she got there she realized that someone else was following her. Lily quickened her pace, so did the other footsteps. Lily twisted around and saw the very last person she wanted to see._

_"Hey, Tomato Face!" James Potter greeted her cheerfully._

_Lily glared at him and her green eyes seemed to shoot sparks. Her face as usual was red, except this time in anger. She did not want to have to deal with him! Lily turned and started to walk away, but he grabbed her by the wrist._

_"I just want to talk to you," he said in a quieter and more sincere voice. James was in reality, feeling a little guilty for what he did. Still, she had no right to humiliate him._

_"Well, talk to me when I'm in my next life. Maybe then I won't remember what happened," Lily shot back. She was in a raging mad._

_Lily pulled away with all her might. The strength of her temper fueling her get away. Not only was her wrist wrenched from his grasp, but he also fell right on his bottom._

_Now it was his turn to be laughed at. A group of kids had gathered to watch the two while they hadn't been looking. James was angrier now that this girl had not only slapped him, but embarrassed him. What kind of girl was she?_

_She wasn't a girl, he thought as he picked himself up and took off after her retreating figure, she was a banshee!_

_Lily tore down the halls, fully aware that he was right behind her every step of the way. She ran blindly through the students that seemed to always be walking straight towards her. Lily did her best not to knock into them._

_"Ouch!"_

_"Watch where you're going!"_

_"First Years!"_

_"Oh, it's her!"_

_"No wonder why!"_

_There were peals of laughter that Lily was too far away to hear._

_James tore after her, racing round each corridor, catching a glimpse of her flying red hair for a mere second before she dove into a crowd or another corridor. She was trying her best to lose him. James was already getting out of breath. He frowned and willed himself to go on, slamming into a group of Slytherins._

_"Was that you Gryffindor?" a mean Slytherin asked another kid, thinking he was bumped by him, not James._

_"No."_

_"Liar. Come up and fight like a real man!"_

_"Why don't you get rid of your buddies and then we'll fight!"_

_A fight started in James' wake. But Lily and James were too far off to know or care. All they cared about was catching up to her or getting away from him. They had only eyes for each other._

_Lily was running out of breath. She had to find somewhere where she could hide. She really didn't even know why she was running from him._

_Because he's a prat! But there was more to it than that._

_Lily stopped, glancing around the hallway. Quick footsteps began to approach._

_A smile formed on James Potter's face as he slowed down, preparing to strike. Why was he doing this? To get revenge and teach her who James Potter is. But really, why would he go rampaging across the school? It just wasn't his style._

_Lily grinned and dove into the girl's bathroom. It was the perfect place, the only place where James Potter would not follow her into._

_James Potter saw her go, inches before his hands touched her. He dove toward the door. It slammed right in his face and for the second time he landed on his bottom._

_"Lily Evans!" he hissed, steaming. He was just about to pounce upon the door when he read the sign._

_"Witches!"_

_"Oh, great." It was too late. He fell into the girl's bathroom._

_"AHHHHHHHH!"_

_"EEEKKK!"_

_"GET OUT!"_

_"SHOOOOOO!"_

_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!"_

_"GO AWAY YOU LITTLE GIT!"_

_"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"_

_"There's a boy in the GIRL'S bathroom!"_

_James felt himself heat up in the face as several girls came toward him, swinging their purses at him. Lip stick, blush and mirrors bombarded him. He caught one glimpse of a certain someone giggling helplessly in the corner. It was Lily Evans._

_"I'll get you for that!" James hollered, pushing his head through the many arms that were trying to shove him out the door. Lily Evans just lifted her head for a moment to meet his gaze, before her head dropped again, because she was laughing so hard._

_James found himself on the other side of the door and once more, the door slammed in his face. And James once again realized how embarrassing that had been, when he heard the laughter._

_But the other three marauders were swarming over James like flies in a moment._

_"That was great, James!"_

_"How'd you get in?"_

_"Can you tell us your secrets?"_

_"Did they look hot?"_

_"I think he was only checking out one girl..."_

_"Who?" Sirius asked Remus._

_"Well, Lily Evans of course."_

_"James has got the hots for her!" Sirius taunted. Remus joined in._

_"Lily and James kissing in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! FIRST comes LOVE. THEN comes MARRIAGE! THEN comes JAMES in the LADIES ROOM!"_

_The other three burst out laughing. James turned from white to purple faster than the traffic lights. The other three sensed the danger._

_"I got to go see the nurse."_

_"I got to go eat."_

_"We just ate," Peter reminded Sirius._

_"I need to eat some more. So do you."_

_"But I'm not hun-" Peter was cut off as he was dragged away by Remus and Sirius, finally realizing the danger._

_"Ooooh, I'll get that Lily Evans!" James whispered murderously._

_The only one left in the hall decided that this would not be a good time to come out of her hiding place. Lily Evans ducked back into the bathroom. She wouldn't be coming out for quite some time._

* * *

_Once again the memory took her onward. It was a few days later, and Lily had finally come out of the bathroom and was now staying happily locked up in her dormitory with the curtains pulled all around her bed. Lily was in luck. It had been a Friday when the bathroom incident had happened. So Lily hadn't had to see James at all those last few days._

_But there was one problem. Lily was starving. She would have to head down to the Great Hall tonight after everyone finished with dinner._

_"I can only hope that he forgot about it," she said wistfully. But she knew that she was lying to herself._

_Lily was certainly right about the lying part. James Potter sat in his dormitory pondering, not for the first time, over what was the best route of revenge to take on Lily. Over the last days he had planned out several tricks and pranks to play on Lily Evans and whoever dared to stray across his path. It was enough to last him for his whole seven years that would be spent at Hogwarts. But unfortunately none of them seemed like the_

_perfect prank._

_Suddenly, James grinned maliciously. His brown eyes glittered and with a smirk he went down to the common room._

_"Hey James where have you been?" Sirius asked him, looking up from a game of chess. Remus seized the chance and took out his wand. He put a muting charm on the pieces and then moved them so that he had an advantage over Sirius._

_"I've been just thinking…" James started, but Sirius and Remus instantly cut him off._

_"About his lover."_

_"About his sweet Lily darling."_

_They both turned to each other and snickered. James wasn't happy._

_"I don't like her!"_

_Too late._

_"__Sonorus!" two voices said in unison._

_"LILY AND JAMES KISSING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-T ("It's a G Sirius!" "Oh.") G! FIRST COMES LOVE! THEN COMES MARRIAGE! THEN COMES LILY AND JAMES IN THE ASTRONOMY TOWER!"_

_James covered his head in his hands, listening to their voices echo across the room. He tried to shut them up, but by now Sirius and Remus were too far gone. They must have been on sugar because they sang the song four more times. People were laughing like crazy by the end. The only reason why they stopped was because Sirius' attention span didn't last that long._

_"So, what were you saying James?" Sirius asked about twenty minutes later._

_"Check Mate."_

_"Huh?"_

_"I said check mate," Remus repeated, grinning._

_James shook his head. You could never have a conversation around here!_

_"Will you guys just listen for a second!?" James said, exasperated._

_"You cheated!"_

_"Me? Cheat?" An angelic look appeared on Remus face._

_"Yeah, you did!" Sirius growled._

_"How can you accuse me of cheating!?"_

_"SHUT UP!" James yelled._

_Both turned to look at him in utter shock._

_"I have a plan to get revenge on Lily," James informed them, lowering his voice._

_Remus and Sirius groaned and rolled their eyes, smiling._

_"James, she only got you back because of what YOU did. YOU started this thing," Remus pointed out._

_"I know but she-"_

_"No buts. Can't you guys just stop it!?" Sirius sighed, shaking his head at his ignorant friend._

_"Why don't you guys be friends?" Remus suggested._

_"NO!" James couldn't stand the idea of being friends with that awful girl._

_"James, you're right," Sirius agreed in all seriousness. "You guys shouldn't be friends. You should be_

_lovers!"_

_Sirius and Remus proceeded to burst out laughing._

_"Fine, I'll do the prank myself!" James cried._

_"Wait, you're doing a prank? Why didn't you tell us? We would've helped!" Sirius said. Instantly the two stopped laughing and grabbed James, pushing him back down into his seat._

_"What do you think I've been trying to say for the last hour!" James hissed._

_"That you were lovers?" Remus guessed. A small smile formed on his lips and Sirius snickered. But James made a move to leave so they both shut up and hid their amusement._

_"Alright, here's the deal…"_

_Remus and Sirius leaned in as James began to outline his plan in a whisper._

* * *

_Lily sat curled up in bed behind the curtains, attempting to read. But her head was spinning. She was starving. She could hear her other roommates, chattering about some boy in Hufflepuff who did something stupid, but all Lily cared about was when they were going to get out of the room._

_Silently, she waited for what seemed like ages but was in reality only minutes. Finally, the girls' talk stopped, and Lily heard the door slam shut as the footsteps faded away. Only when she was sure they were gone did she dare move._

_Lily sighed and dropped her book on the bed. She pushed back the curtains and then stood up shakily._

_Frowning, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her red hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot from crying and lack of sleep._

_"I'll always be an outcast and ugly," she moaned. The tears threatened to fall once more but she was all cried out._

_Lily ran her fingers through her hair, fixing it somewhat, and splashed some water on her face. Then she opened the door._

_Glancing around, she made sure that no one was about before stepping out into the open._

_Lily failed to notice that there was indeed someone in the common room as she walked down the steps and out of the portrait hole._

_"Okay, she's gone."_

_"We've got probably fifteen minutes tops."_

_"Alright, let's hurry!"_

_Three mischievous boys set to work upon a carefully mastered plan..._

* * *

_Lily wolfed down her food not paying attention to anyone. When she had finished, she hurriedly pushed her empty plate away from her and without glancing at anyone fled the Great Hall. She had to get back to her dormitory as quick as possible. She didn't want to hear another giggle or whisper. She just wanted to lay down upon her bed and write her parents._

_"Oh, Merlin! She's coming!" Remus announced, opening the portrait and coming back into the common room._

_"Great!" James was frustrated. It just wasn't going the way he wanted it too. It wasn't supposed to be that difficult of a charm. The transfiguring part was easy but the charms were tricky._

_"James, it doesn't have to be perfect. Just get it done!" Sirius groaned as he made sure everything was in place._

_"Alright." James screwed up his eyes. It wasn't easy doing third year charms. But he was just going to have to do it, regardless of whether they came out right or not._

_"__Accio suberan fire!" James said. It successfully flew into the air and landed in the fire. James grinned. He turned to Sirius and Remus who were grinning also._

_"All set?"_

_The question didn't need to be answered. The grins and the proud looks as they admired their work that they had put together for the red head were clear enough. It was ready._

_Lily wearily turned behind her to see that most of the students were leaving the Great Hall. Bad timing. She was going to have to walk faster. She raced down the hall and skidded to a stop in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady._

_"Password?"_

_"Chocolate Frogs."_

_Lily waited patiently for the portrait while her classmates drew closer._

_"I'm sorry, dear, but that's not the password."_

_"What?" Lily thought the day couldn't get any worse and now look what was happening. They had either changed the password on her or she had forgotten._

_"They changed it," the Fat Lady said who was on strict orders not to open the painting to anyone, even to the poor girl who she had heard the tale of._

_"Ummmm." Lily pushed her red hair out of her face, trying to rack her brain for the password. Tears were overwhelming her. It was just a miserable day for Lily. Didn't it ever get better?_

_But just when she thought it couldn't get worse..._

_"Wondering what the password is?" The familiar voice brought fresh anger to Lily._

_"Why else would I be standing here?!" Lily demanded not daring to look at him._

_"Calm down! I'll tell you the password." James was not making things any better for her but he did step up to the portrait._

_"Slytherins smell."_

_The portrait swung open and a very flustered Lily marched past James Potter positively fuming. James glared and climbed in behind her._

_"No thank you's today?" James remarked._

_"You in no means helped me," Lily snapped as she climbed the stairs with her back to him._

_This didn't help matters at all, and it took a kick from thin air to get him to calm down and remember the plan, before he messed it up miserably._

_"Lily, listen I needed to talk to you about something," James said. His voice was soft and gentle. Something that Lily needed to break the ice and walls that she had built around herself._

_Lily stopped. She was emotionally unstable. All her emotions were running together. She should've ignored him and kept going, but something, deep inside was against it._

_James could see that it was working. With new found courage he continued._

_"Lily, I shouldn't have played that trick on you. It was mean and it was cruel. I'm not sure what I was thinking."_

_"You weren't thinking. But that's a regular for you. You never think," Lily said harshly._

_James bit down on his tongue hard to stop himself._

_"Well, I'm glad you think that way. What I'm trying to say is that Lily, I'm sorry," James apologized gently. Anyone who heard it would have been convinced in a heartbeat. James had a gift for acting._

_A crowd had gathered in the common room. The students were coming back from dinner, but instead of heading for the dormitories they just stood there in silence._

_"Can we be friends?"_

_Lily's heart stopped for one moment. Had he just asked what she thought he asked? All her life Lily had never really had true friends. Sure, there were plenty of acquaintances, but never a real friend or group of friends. Could this be her chance?_

_Lily thought back to all the misery that had been caused by this boy and her mind screamed, "Don't do it! Don't say yes, whatever you do!" But her heart that had been through so much pain over the last week was screaming for someone to talk to. "Say yes! Say it!"_

_Lily was torn between the two sides. It would be something she regretted, but at that moment she needed a friend. She was lonely, miserable and dying for someone to talk to. James was the first person to approach her, even though it was his fault that this had happened to poor Lily._

_"Lily, I really don't want to fight with you. I think it would be nice if we became friends," James said. He could see it in her eyes as she slowly turned around to face him. Those green eyes of hers that he had failed to notice held so much beauty and so much pain and confusion. She was going to say it. He knew it._

_But was this what he really wanted to do? Did he really need to hurt her again?_

_"Sure, we can be friends," she whispered. For the first time she was Lily Evans. Not a red head in a rage, or a miserable or confused young girl, but Lily Evans._

_James smiled and held out his hand. Lily walked down the steps. Smiling shyly, she took his hand in hers. For one moment the two stared into each other's eyes and saw what could've been a great friendship. James wished he had yelled at Sirius and Remus and called the whole prank off. But somehow lost in her eyes and the excitement of a new beginning, he forgot to tell them._

_That was when it happened._

_The crowd of students were smiling and whispering amongst themselves, touched by the scene that was taking place before them. One of the older girls was even close to tears, but that could've been because her boyfriend broke up with her because of her squeaky voice._

_"Isn't it sweet?"_

_"They're so cute!"_

_"The little boy is mine. I claim him!" screamed the squeaky voiced girl._

_"No, he's mine!" screamed the new girlfriend._

_"I say he's mine!" screamed a few other girls._

_Pretty soon a cat fight was going on over who got James, complete with flying handbags, makeup, and scratching fingernails._

_But something else was going on, on the other side of the room._

_Something hit Lily's head. She staggered and suddenly her hand that was clasped in James' started burning. Lily ripped her hand free from his grasp and touched her head. Her head was itching like crazy! She pulled herself away from him, moving into the crowd. Trying to itch with one hand and get rid of the burning on the other, she found it was quite difficult. But both her head and hand were now in a lot of pain._

_What Lily was unaware of was that she looked like a deranged monkey, hopping around the room, trying to scratch her itchy head and cure her burning hand at the same time. Heads were turning and staring at her, and wondering what the heck was wrong with the crazy girl. Lily started to yell and scream as the pain became worse, and started scratching faster and jumping around the room, knocking into objects and people._

_"What the-"_

_"I say she looks like a monkey!"_

_A lot of people were now starting to laugh, including two certain invisible people who had helped with the plan. But those two same boys were very surprised to see that James was not._

_"Maybe we should stop," Remus mumbled with a worried glance at James. He hadn't wanted to do that prank in the first place._

_"No. He said no matter what," Sirius said stubbornly, shaking his head. He pulled out his wand and spoke a spell that James had taught him._

_What came next was unexpected. Sirius' goal was to turn Lily into a monkey. But Sirius was only a first year and was never great at Transfiguration (or as Remus said, "Sirius it's transfiguration class not act like a dumb Slytherin class"), so the result was very different from what was supposed to happen._

_But it was still very unfortunate for Lily._

_She sprouted a tail. Her ears grew larger and her red hair turned brown. Lily was still in pain from the scratching and burning that continued without end. So now she really looked like a monkey jumping up and down, bouncing around the room, and scratching herself like crazy._

_Everyone started giggling and laughing. They didn't know who had done it, but they couldn't help but laugh at the strange sight of a girl who now looked very much like a monkey, knocking into objects and scratching like crazy._

_The cat fight was forgotten when one girl knocked out another girl with a particularly heavy purse that may or may not have had rocks in it. (Though no one dared to go near enough to prove this theory.)_

_James watched the crowd laughing at poor unfortunate Lily. He wanted to punch them or scream at them to shut up and leave her alone. But James quickly snapped out of this and tried to concentrate at the task at hand. This was the girl who had embarrassed a "Potter". This was no girl to pity. And besides he was already too far into the prank. But still, this girl shouldn't have to go through all this. He was still having second thoughts._

_"James!" someone hissed from thin air. When James didn't respond he got a very hard kick in the leg from someone who wasn't visible._

_James snapped out of it._

_"Okay! Quit it!" For they were now just kicking him for the fun of it, because they had the advantage, of course, of not being seen._

_James pulled out his wand and pointed it at Lily in a quivering hand. In that moment he knew he was letting go of a chance that he should've taken. He was refusing something that deep down inside his heart, he knew it was considered to be precious. But he was letting go and hiding from the obvious, trying to go against destiny._

_But James would later discover that destiny, but not until seven years later._

_Now he muttered the spell and pushed whatever it was that could've been something to the very back of his mind._

_A black coal emerged from the fire. It was still on fire as it went soaring toward her throat. It hit her directly and Lily immediately cried out, slapping her hand to her neck. The coal burned into her skin, sending pain throughout her body. This was torture for Lily!_

_Lily removed her hand and the coal dissolved into smoke and dust, but the damage was already done. Lily turned and glared at James. She now knew that this was all his doing. The anger was pulsing throughout her veins. Once again she was getting into the danger zone of a red head's temper._

_"I hate you!" she spat._

_But James was no longer sympathetic and not quite finished. With a flick of his wand the whole fire went out. The coals rose about a foot in the air, and with the help of Remus and Sirius, they sent the coals flying toward Lily._

_Lily cried out as they bombarded her. Each one dissolved into black dust leaving a coating upon her skin. But some of them were still on fire and as a result Lily was getting pinches and burns._

_Everyone watched in shock waiting for the coals to stop flying. Their vision was blocked by the cloud of dust caused from the coals._

_The smoke cleared and the last of the coals fell to the ground. Lily was still standing but all thoughts of a temper outburst were gone. For even though she couldn't see herself, she knew it was bad, real bad._

_Lily caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window and got quite a shock. She didn't recognize herself! She had a tail, big ears and that wasn't even the worse of it._

_Every part of Lily was black. Her skin, her hair, her tail, her ears. Everything had turned black. Lily brought her hand up to her once red hair and suddenly realized that it was on fire. She let out a strangled cry._

_That was when the silence broke. First one person, then a few more and then the rest of them started to laugh. Sirius and Remus broke down into an echoing laughter that caused the rest of them to get louder._

_"She's got that flaming red hair temper you know!" taunted one boy._

_The laughter and giggles grew louder as pity was pushed aside and replaced by the amusement of the situation._

_"Now you guys know what happens when you push a red head to limit!"_

_"She just burns up!"_

_Laughter grew louder, echoing throughout the common room. James Potter couldn't help it, he started to laugh too. Giggling girls sat hunched over, trying to stop their ribs from breaking, while some boys, including the three marauders, were rolling around on the floor._

_Lily stood stunned before them all. They were all laughing at her. Lily gasped hardly believing how awful this was. She wished it was some sort of nightmare that she would wake up from in about ten seconds. She pinched herself but nothing happened._

_It was real, all real. They were laughing at her._

_Tears sprang at her eyes and the room began to swim before her. Thankfully the itching and the burning had stopped, but the damage was already done. Lily sucked in her breath but she was too far over the edge. The tears began to stream down her cheek._

_"Look, she's blubbering!"_

_"She's going to cry!"_

_"Watch out everyone there's going to be a lot of smoke when she puts the fire out with her river of tears!"_

_By now almost everyone was clutching their stomach or rolling around on the floor. Not one person in that room wasn't laughing. Everyone was all watching Lily Evans, laughing at her._

_Lily heard one person laughing above all the rest. Rolling about upon the ground with his two comrades was none other than James Potter. Lily's hot anger rose but it just fed to her embarrassment and humiliation. She began to sob, and letting out a strangled cry, she fled from the room and ran as fast as her feet could carry her away from the nightmare. But James Potter's laugh never ceased in her mind as she ran blindly through her tears._

_From that moment on a war began. Lily vowed she would never forgive James until she had gotten all the revenge that was necessary._

_And nothing had changed._

***END FLASHBACK***

**A/N: I know, I know it was long, (I didn't realize it was that long! Sorry) but don't worry that's the end of the flashback. I just needed to explain why they hated each other. I'm sorry if anyone was bored by that chapter I promise the story does get better.**

**Oh yeah, Lily and James and the rest of the gang are in their seventh year, I might've said they were sixteen or taking their owls, but they're in their seventh year. So just ignore everything else I say. And this was written Pre-OotP. Okay? I think that's all. Please Review!**


	4. What Happened?

**Author's Note: THANK YOU for the reviews. Claire-125, Agloechen, J.E.A.R. , AmeliaBedelia(YOU UPDATED!), Headmaster Cromwell, Logical Raven, The all mighty and powerfulM, GryffindorGoddess28, starborn, and LilyFLower1001. It made my day! This chapter is really short, but I should have the next chapter out VERY soon, I just want to look it over again. If you're confused after you read this, it should be explained in the next chapter.**

**Cursed **

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 4: What Happened?**

Lily opened her eyes. The room came into focus, swimming before her as it slowly became clearer. Lily wiped her tearful eyes with her sleeve and sat up.

She was in the Transfiguration classroom. Her hand fell upon another person as she stretched out her stiff arms.

Lily turned and saw the deformed James Potter just as she had left him when she had taken her journey down memory lane. She almost screamed because she didn't recognize him, but the events of the day came back to her quickly, preventing her from doing this. She removed her hand from his arm and quickly scooted over, so that she was no longer right beside him.

The memories were over.

Lily sighed in relief. She was finally back. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, reliving the terrible moments of the past that she fought to keep back for almost seven years with nothing but her own sheer will. It seemed like forever. It had been awful and almost as bad as the very days themselves in which they had taken place. Every word, every action had stabbed Lily in the heart and brought her grief all over again. Unknowingly, she had begun to cry during her travel through the moments of the past. Lily was so grateful that it was over that she could've kissed the Transfiguration classroom floor. Who would've thought memories could be so painful?

However, Lily had learned a valuable lesson. You couldn't lock up painful memories and never look at them again for six years. They had overwhelmed her. Whether she liked it or not those memories were going to break the barrier. Lily should've known that you couldn't turn your back completely on the past.

"I learned that a little too late," Lily grumbled, rubbing her eyes once more. She sighed and straightened up.

She felt like she had been hit with a ton of bricks. But at least she wouldn't be reliving that any time soon.

But another matter at hand was just as stressful and complex. She turned her head focusing her emerald colored eyes upon her major problem.

There was never a time when James Potter wasn't the problem. It was always revenge or having to deal with the results of a prank. She was used to the thought of James being trouble for her. But this, this was different.

All her life Lily had waited for this moment. The moment when James Potter would be thrown on the ground and she would finally get the recognition she deserved as the smarter and cleverer of the two. Now that moment had come. Why then, did everything still feel the same?

Professor McGongall had thankfully left the classroom. She had gone searching for James and still hadn't returned. Lily figured that her detention was pretty much over and that she could leave.

"But what am I going to do with him?" she wondered not for the first time.

She turned her thoughts over in her mind, hoping for something to go on. An inspiring idea was what she was searching for. But none came.

"I guess I'll leave," she decided. But she couldn't just leave him here. McGonagall might come back and find him and figure out what happened. She had to take him with her.

Drawing out her wand, she pointed it at James for the second time that night.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_."

James lifted into the air and slowly Lily began walking forward, never taking her eyes off the wand or James.

* * *

There was a soft knock.

"Sirius?" someone hissed.

Sirius Black glanced up from the charm's essay that he was attempting to copy off of Remus. Remus had fallen asleep and had no idea that his charm's essay was now Sirius'.

Lily's best friend, Diane stood leaning against the door to the boy's dormitory. She folded her arms across her chest and glared when she realized what he was doing. Sirius grinned innocently and hurriedly slipped the charm's essay out of sight.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Sirius asked her as he stood up.

Diane's glare melted away.

"I'm worried about Lily and James," she confessed, as they closed the dormitory door behind them and started walking down to the common room.

"Why are you afraid that Lily might steal your former boyfriend? You never know they could be having a snogging session in there or something_ more_!" Sirius joked wagging his eyebrows.

Diane punched his arm.

"What was that for?" Sirius asked, massaging his arm.

"James and I are finished. We're over. Get that into your little brain," Diane said sharply. She hated it when people said that she still cared for James. There had been a point when perhaps she had. After all she and James had remained together for three months before he cheated on her and dumped her abruptly.

Sirius looked slightly taken aback when he saw the look on her face.

"Okay, I won't talk about it anymore," he said seriously.

Diane glanced up at him and looked him in the eye. He was serious. Hopefully this would be the end of his dreadful teasing. Diane certainly hoped so.

"So, do you want to go find Lily and James?"

"Yeah. It's after midnight and McGonagall came here a half hour ago looking for James. Something must've happened," she worried.

"Let's just jump a step ahead and check the hospital wing," Sirius suggested, opening the portrait.

"Trying to sneak out?" a voice asked from the shadows.

They both whirled around to see Diane and Lily's roommate and other best friend standing behind them. Somehow, during the time they were talking, she had snuck up on them without making a sound.

"Mary!" Diane gasped, frowning as she caught her breath. "Don't do that!" she scolded her.

"What?" Mary asked, innocently.

"Don't sneak up on people!" Diane said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, you shouldn't do that," Sirius said sternly, imitating Diane. Then he leaned over and in a loud whisper asked, "Hey, can you teach me how to do that?"

"I heard that!" Diane snapped, glaring.

Mary laughed and pushed Sirius away.

"It's a secret," she chuckled. Ever since they were little the Marauders had been trying to figure out Mary's secret, but with no success. For Mary always answered in the same manner, insisting that it was a secret.

"Come on, I'll chaperone you two love birds and make sure you don't do anything you might regret," Mary offered, draping her arms around her two friends.

* * *

Back in the corridors, Lily was walking along pointing her wand at something that no one else could see but her. She never moved her eyes or wand from the invisible object and it must have looked very strange to see her walking, and staring, and pointing straight ahead like a zombie. Every once and a while you could hear a bump or a thud, like something was bouncing very hard off of a wall or a suit of armor.

"Oops!" Lily giggled, grinning.

"It just seemed to slip, like_ that_!" she laughed loudly as there was another thud.

Thankfully no one was in the hall at midnight or there would have probably suspected Lily to be drunk, very drunk.

"Love Birds!?" a familiar voice floated down the hall. Lily heard it from a distance and almost turned her head and lost her concentration.

"Heavens, no!"

"Fine, whatever."

That was Sirius and Diane, definitely Mary too. Lily smiled.

"Anything but birds would be fine."

"Sirius!" Diane exclaimed and it sounded like she hit him.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Mary asked, exasperated. "You two need more than a chaperone!"

Their voices were coming closer. Lily turned down a corridor, concentrating on smashing James into a suit of armor.

"We're looking for Lily and James. Remember?" Diane asked, hastily trying to change the subject.

"I'm sure that's exactly what you two were thinking when you decided to take a walk by yourselves around the school at midnight!" Lily called, cackling. She walked toward the suits of armor as her friends all turned to look at her in shock.

_SMASH_!

"What the -?"

"Lily?!"

"Are you alright?"

Lily lost all concentration and just sat down upon the floor, laughing as James slipped down the suit of armor and fell to the floor. It was just too funny. Her friends all hurried toward her and surrounded Lily who had hidden her face in her hands and was shaking.

"Is she crying?" Sirius asked in a whisper.

Diane shook her head and knelt down beside Lily.

"Lily, are you okay?"

Lily didn't say anything but continued to rock back and forth, shaking uncontrollably. Diane hesitantly reached out and touched Lily's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Lily?" Diane asked softly. She thought Lily was crying.

"Diane and Mary scare me too, Lily. But there's no reason to cry about it," Sirius teased. He earned a slap from Mary and a glare from Diane.

Lily snorted and lifted her head. She burst out laughing unable to hold it in any longer.

Her friends jumped away, not sure what to make of her.

"Um, what's so funny?" Mary asked.

"Sirius isn't that funny you know," Diane said.

Lily shook her head laughing and pointed at the invisible white haired hexed James that had just smashed into the suits of armor. But Lily was the only one that could see him.

"She's drunk."

For once Diane and Mary whole heartedly agreed with Sirius, nodding their heads.

"Either that or James put some sort of spell on her," Diane added as they walked over to Lily and helped her to her feet.

"Come on, Lily. We're going back to the common room right now," Mary said firmly, steering her in the right direction.

"Wait!" Lily managed to yell. She broke free of them and stumbled over to James. Her hands came across something that she didn't recognize, a cloak of some sort that was invisible even to her own eyes. Perhaps, when she cursed him she'd done something to that too. She covered the invisible James with it, earning more weird looks from her friends, and then obediently headed back with them.

She would deal with James in the morning. Right now, she thought, as she slipped into sleep, she was exhausted.

* * *

Rumors spread fast at Hogwarts, and by the next morning people all over Hogwarts were hearing the most outrageous story about the Head Girl. At the Gryffindor table, one gossipy witness was determined to get people to believe what she had actually seen with her very own eyes.

"She was drunk! I'm telling you, she was definitely drunk."

"Lily Evans? The Head Girl? Jenn, you can't be serious!"

"But I am serious! Lily Evans came in last night so wasted! She couldn't even stand up straight."

"You're lying."

"Taylor, I swear it's the truth! I saw Sirius, Mary and Diane come in with her last night. She was out cold. And they were even saying she was drunk!" the brunette confessed to her friend adamantly.

"Are you sure it was Lily, Jenn? We've known Lily for like seven years, and she isn't the type of person to go crazy and get completely trashed like that," her friend said, shaking her head.

"She's certainly not," Lily Evans said, coming up behind the two girls. The two girls turned around startled, and Lily gave them a sweet smile.

"Good morning, Taylor, Jenn." Lily let the notes drop a little bit as her sweet smile faltered when she glanced at Jenn. Jenn was James' current girlfriend and Lily had a thing for hating any girl that was currently with James, especially one that had just been gossiping about her.

One would think Lily should join James' fan club. She certainly would get along with the other girls who also hated any girl that was with James.

"Lily, what a nice surprise! We were just talking about how you came in last night a little… tipsy," a cold voice was followed by the sound of cruel laughter. Lily whipped around to see Serverus Snape.

"Word travels fast doesn't it," Snape observed, grinning. Lily sent a glare at Jenn who was already making an exit under her watchful gaze.

"Honestly, Snape, I never thought you were one for gossip," Lily said, tilting her head and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I only like hearing the truth," he said slyly. "Especially when the truth concerns a certain colleague of mine. I just want to inform everyone else of one of our top student's hangover," Snape drawled.

"Ahh, misinformation often falls into that small brain of yours. No wonder why you were once considered to be a squib," Lily shot back.

She didn't feel like pursuing the topic and instead sat down at the Gryffindor table beside Mary who had just arrived along with Diane. For one moment there was silence, as Lily wondered how to bring up the topic of her being supposedly drunk last night.

"How's my favorite Slimy Git today!" someone called after Snape.

"Sirius always lets everyone know when he's awake," Diane said, dishing out some toast onto her plate.

"Not the quiet type is he?" Mary chuckled with a glance at Sirius, who was now rushing up to Snape with a big grin on his face.

"Buddy old git, how have you been? Your hair looks nice. Have you started washing it monthly instead of yearly?" Sirius' voice carried all the way across the room.

Diane shook her head and took a bite out of her toast as Remus arrived at the table, throwing himself down across from them.

"What's the rush? It's only Binn's class," Lily said, watching as Remus began to shovel toast in his mouth.

"Can't talk now." _Munch. Munch._ "Got to" _Munch. Munch_. "get to the library." Lily made a face and backed away as toast crumbs spread all over the place.

"Okay, seems self-explanatory to me. No need to say more," Lily said, brushing some toast crumbs off of her robes.

"'Morning everyone," Sirius greeted them cheerfully, plopping himself down beside Remus.

"What's with the cheery greeting and the early arrival at the breakfast table?" Mary asked. Sirius and the other Marauders were often late sleepers. This was due to the fact that they chose to sleep in the day rather than at night. Pranks, and food raids, and secret trips that the girls didn't know about were better at night when it was dark, and Sirius had a better chance of setting his detention record.

"No reason," Sirius said, shrugging.

"You sound like Lily," Diane said suspiciously.

"After she's done something to James," Mary finished. They broke into laughter. Lily grinned proudly.

"That's right. I'm the girl who does stuff to James Potter," Lily announced. The others just laughed harder as James' fan club, who was sitting nearby, looked at her with wide eyes.

"He's doing stuff with her!" one fan club member gasped.

Another fan club member broke into tears.

"All this time they've secretly been doing "stuff" and just acting like they hated each other!" She wept. Downtrodden and giving Lily evil glares, they went to the library to deal with this new threat and hold the weekly "James Potters Fan Club" meeting.

"Yep, that's me," Lily said, beaming. Diane slid off of her seat onto the floor laughing even harder. The others weren't faring very well either. They looked like their ribs were about to break as Mary ducked beneath the table to control herself.

Lily looked at them all perplexed. Then she realized with a mortifying look upon her face why they were all laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh, you guys. You know I didn't mean it that way!" She said staring at them. But they just continued to laugh.

"You're unbelievable!" Lily sighed, throwing up her hands and standing up. She grabbed her books. Shaking her head, she walked away from the table.

"I, Lily Evans, doing _stuff_ with James Potter? Over my dead body!" she spat. "That'll be the day when I come to my senses and drop dead. But not before I use that killing curse on J-" Lily trailed off, suddenly realizing what she had somehow forgotten.

"Oh, my gosh!" she giggled. She took off at a run, nearly knocking over a group of first year girls in the process.

* * *

"Where's she going in such a hurry?" Mary asked.

"Beats me," Sirius said, shoveling more food into his mouth.

"Where's James?" Diane asked, suddenly getting a panic look upon her face.

The four met each other's gaze.

"Oh, no!" Diane gasped.

"James!" They all said in unison.

Before you could say Quidditch, the four had gathered their books and took off after the red head.

"Where'd she go?" Remus asked Sirius. Sirius was craning over the heads of a group of Hufflepuffs that were moving with the speed equivalent to that of a very elderly snail.

"Don't know," Sirius replied, seeing no sign at all of the red head who had somehow gotten away.

"You'd think with that color hair it would be like a sign "Here I am!" Remus grumbled.

"Hope James' life doesn't depend on this," Diane said, smiling as she walked along at a leisurely pace.

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm pretty sure James isn't about to let Lily get the best of him," Mary said, returning the smile.

How wrong they were.

* * *

Lily ran down the empty corridor, listening to her own footsteps echo behind her. She stopped and glanced around. It had been right around here. She took a few more steps. Was he still invisible?

Abruptly, her foot caught on something and she fell flat on her face.

"Ouch!" Lily cursed and scrambled to her feet, trying to find what she tripped over and gather her books together.

"Well, if you look at that. Somebody had an invisibility cloak and didn't tell me," Lily chuckled, moving the cloak off of James.

Lily wasn't surprised to notice that his hair had changed back and all of the curses were more or less gone. A few still had left traces upon his skin but Lily didn't bother to do any of the counter curses. It just slipped her mind.

What she was surprised to find was that James Potter was curled up, sound asleep and snoring softly.

"Aww, little James is fast asleep," Lily snickered but she did think that he looked a little cute like that. Too bad he couldn't stay like that forever.

She pulled out her wand from her pocket and pointed it at the innocently sleeping James. Luckily this time no hexes came out.

"_Enervate_!"

James opened his eyes. He groaned and sat up very slowly and stiffly. Rubbing his back and muttering under his breath, he looked around the room trying to figure out what where he was and why he was there.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Lily asked, sarcastically. She folded her arms across her chest with her wand still out just in case.

"Huh?" James glanced around, looking a little bewildered until his eyes focused on Lily. Then he_ looked_ at her.

Lily felt slightly taken aback. James didn't glare at her, or scowl, or narrow his eyes. He didn't laugh, or smile. All he did was look her over from head to toe, and then he raised his eyes back to hers, and he _stared_. It sent a chill down Lily's spine. Something wasn't right.

Perhaps, he was planning some new scheme to get back at her. But Lily still couldn't rule out the fact that was the most obvious. James was looking at her in a very _odd_ way. Almost as if he didn't...

"Lily! There you are!" Remus cried, panting.

Sirius, Mary and Diane came scrambling to a stop behind him, all breathing heavily.

"Oh, and look you have James with you," Sirius sighed in relief. "And he's still breathing! Excellent!"

But Lily wasn't listening. She was watching James. Suddenly, she got to her feet and backed away with a scared look upon her face.

"Lily?" Diane asked.

She and the others were now very frightened and were watching James and Lily closely because they were acting very strangely. They had never behaved like this before. There hadn't been a single insult or curse thrown in the last thirty seconds, in fact it appeared that they hadn't said or done anything to each other, which was ten times more terrifying. Something was very wrong.

Lily backed up against the wall and stared at James from the other side of the room. He had that perplexed look upon his face as if he didn't remember her. But what was far worse, much worse than _that_, was the new light that was in James' brown eyes.

She had only seen it once before. And that had been when James had been crazy about Diane.

"Lily," he said in a soft voice, finally remembering her name.

Lily's eyes widened.

"What have I done?" she whispered.

**A/N: James wakes up! I noticed though that a lot of you are now on Lily's side after the flashback. Memories play a key role in this story! You'll see why... The next chapter is coming soon I promise! Please Review!**


	5. A Different Side

**Author's Note****: Thank you for the Reviews again. Thanks Amelia Bedelia, Agloechen, J.E.A.R. , starborn, allie, babyjayy, The all mighty and powerfulM and Claire-125 for reviewing. One question I got a lot was Is James in love with Lily? The answer is in this chapter. It might clear up some questions, but the answers come later. Sorry the last chapter was so short, and apparently confusing.**

**Cursed **

**By HazelMist  
**  
**Chapter 5: A Different Side**

"Hello! Earth to Lily! Anyone home?" Diane waved her hand once more in Lily's line of vision, but it had no effect on the stunned redhead. She just stood there, staring at James and blocking out the rest of them with that same look of horror on her face.

"What's wrong with her?" Mary whispered.

"What's wrong with James?" Remus asked, looking at the boy who had yet to acknowledge any one but Lily.

Sirius didn't know what the hell was up with James, but he could tell that Lily was absolutely terrified. Ever since that first prank, Lily had learned to hide her emotions well (except her infamous temper and hatred for James) and Sirius couldn't remember her ever having reacted to anything with fear. So whatever James must've done to her, it had to have been horrible and on a whole new level of revenge.

"Lily, are you alright?" James got up and walked over to Lily, gazing at her with true concern in his eyes.

Lily seemed to gradually come out of her trance, because her eyes grew wider, and she lowered her hand from her mouth. Diane on the other hand, jumped away from Lily as if she were on fire. She was looking between Lily and James as if she couldn't believe her eyes, and she was backing away from them slowly. Sirius grabbed her and pulled her back to where Remus and Mary stood with him. The four of them stared, trembling and wondering why they were so afraid.

"Lily?" James repeated her name softly. His voice was like none of them had heard it before.

"Should we wait for them to kill each other or save ourselves?" Remus asked, quaking.

The four glanced at each other.

"I don't know what you're playing at James Potter, but I don't really want to be part of this sick and twisted game of yours," Lily said, her voice trembling with anger and fear. They could see the heat rising in her face. The famous red head temper was surfacing.

He took a staggering step back as if he didn't have any idea what she was talking about. Their friends knew that something was very wrong in this situation. They just couldn't put a finger on it.

James stared at Lily for a moment and Lily stared back, waiting for him to turn back to normal, or at least hoping for him to take out his wand and curse her. She longed to hear him call her "tomato face", an "evil redhead" or a "monster". For the first time in her life she realized how much those wars and battles were a part of her life.

"Lily I just want to-" He took a few quick steps toward her and reached out a hand to touch her shoulder gently. Lily dived out of the way, shifting sharply to the left. Her wand was out now and she was brandishing it at him.

"I think," Sirius gulped. "Now's a good time to RUN!"

The four friends left quickly before anything could be said, fully expecting James to take out his wand as well, and a duel to take place. They had learned from experience that Lily and James didn't always hit each other, but frequently injured innocent bystanders by accident in the desperate process of getting at each other. In a flash, they were gone and so were several other people that had gathered around to watch the peculiar scene.

But if they had stayed, just a moment longer, they would've seen that James didn't take out his wand, or frown, or curse. He stood there dumbly, looking at Lily in the strangest way.

And it scared Lily more than any curse could. She slowly backed away and then took off down the hall, running as fast as she could. She didn't like this. She didn't like it one bit.

* * *

"I think – that's far - enough!" Diane said, panting. She was out of breath as she leaned up against the wall between Sirius and Mary. All four of them were breathing heavily and were resting, having just run half way across the grounds in a short period of time. It seemed like they had been running from a dragon instead of two teenagers with wands.

"Me – too," Mary gasped, sitting down.

Sirius and Remus didn't waste their precious breath and kept silent. But it was obvious that they were thinking along the same lines as the girls. There was silence for several minutes only filled by the shallow breathing of the four.

"What the heck was that anyway?" Diane asked, finally catching her breath.

"That was Lily and James, acting like they do every day," Sirius replied with a shrug.

"I think it's a hazard," Remus muttered under his breath.

They all looked at him.

"Well, you know we probably will end up dying before we reach the age of 21. Just because we're friends with those two freaks. If they don't watch it, they're going to kill someone, and more than likely it will be one of us," he predicted gloomily.

It was very true. When a duel began Lily and James saw nothing but each other. It was a scary thought, but it was even scarier that it seemed likely to happen.

"We've got to stop this," Mary decided.

"There goes my "free" entertainment," Sirius groaned.

"Oh, give me a break! Would you rather get yourself killed in the crossfire?" Diane asked, rolling her eyes.

"Tough decision," Remus said, pretending to think it over. "I would pay to see Diane at your funeral! 'It's all my fault he's dead. He wanted entertainment and death rather then us taking entertainment away!'" Remus said, imitating her in a falsetto voice. Mary and Sirius laughed along with him. But Diane was not amused.

"Give me entertainment or give me death!" Sirius said, dramatically striking a pose.

"Huh?" Mary was confused.

"There was this ancient American dude who… never mind, let's go." The other three shrugged and followed Sirius back into the castle.

* * *

Taylor sighed loudly, causing several people sitting near her to look up. But Jenn didn't seem to notice because she continued to blab on and on about James Potter, her boyfriend.

Taylor was bored. She had been listening to Jenn talk about the "perfect" James Potter non-stop for the last week. It was James this, and James that, and every time Taylor tried to talk about something other than James Potter, she would just steer the topic back to James. Honestly, how small was Jenn's brain? Ever since James had asked her to Hogsmeade, Jenn had had a one track mind, and became an expert on a variety of topics that all involved her boyfriend, and nothing but her boyfriend.

"And then, can you believe it? He just walked right past me as if he hadn't heard me at all. Can you believe that he did that?!" She slammed her hand on the table so hard that Taylor jerked back to reality and several books toppled off the table. Taylor would've told her right then and there that she didn't care about stupid James Potter anymore, but she suddenly realized that Jenn was close to tears.

"What's wrong?" Taylor asked quickly.

"James he - you weren't listening to me! Nobody listens to me. It's just me, myself and I. I must be schizophrenic since all I ever do is talk to myself!" She threw up her hands and Taylor saw tears sliding down her cheeks.

Taylor jumped back. The littlest things that James did would make Jenn go crazy, thinking she would be dumped. Jenn had waited all of her life to go out with James and now it had finally happened. But instead of enjoying it like a normal teenage girl, Jenn took it upon herself to make sure that nothing she said or did would make James break up with her. She was going a little insane. Privately, Taylor was hating every minute of this and couldn't wait for James to dump her. But then again the break up period would be probably just as bad, if not worse. There was no escape. Taylor groaned, inwardly. Her life was hell.

"Well, I'm going to go talk to each other!" Jenn clamped a hand over her mouth, when she realized what she had just said. Taylor couldn't help but stifle a giggle. It was too funny. Her best friend was a crazy maniac.

"Laugh all you want, I'm leaving. At least the mirror will pretend to listen to me!" She grabbed her books and exited the library, fuming and muttering something about imaginary friends.

Taylor laughed, picking up her books from the floor. She shook her head, grinning. It was just too much. She continued to laugh. It felt good to finally have Jenn and her crazy musings off her back for once. It felt good to laugh.

"You! Out!" the librarian shouted, pointing at her.

Taylor walked out of the library, still trying to stop giggling. She earned several looks from the other students who were diligently studying. In fact everyone was staring at her, except for the couple at the table nearest the restricted section that the librarian seemed to have overlooked. They were _studying_ much harder than the others and didn't seem to notice Taylor leave the library or anything else for that matter since they were lip locked.

Taylor slowly made her way back to the dormitories. Little did she know, but she was in for another surprise.

She stomped up the staircase and walked over to the Girl's dormitory. She wasn't watching where she was going and was looking over something that was in her Charms textbook. Flipping the page, she suddenly cried out, as she tripped, and went tumbling to the ground. Her books all dropped all over the place and several bottles of ink rolled onto the floor.

Taylor cursed and quickly grabbed her wand. With a quick charm that she learned from Lily, she cleaned everything up and put it all back into her bag. What had she tripped over?

It was immediately obvious. Someone who had been sitting in front of the Girl's dormitory door was now getting to their feet. He glanced up at Taylor almost as if he was unsure of who she was. But Taylor recognized him instantly. This was the guy that was causing all of her misery.

"James? What are you doing in front of the Girl's dormitory door?!" Taylor asked, angrily. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now.

"I was, uh, I was waiting for someone to come out," he stuttered.

"Well, Jenn's down at the Library," Taylor informed him, barely containing her frustration.

"Oh, Jenn?" He was looking at her with that "who are you?" look. It was true that Taylor rarely talked to James Potter, especially in this manner, but still he seemed to be acting a little strange.

"Yeah, Jenn is not in the dormitory," Taylor repeated, more slowly. She was beginning to wonder if she had to spell it out for him when he cleared his throat.

"Actually, I was waiting for Lily." He looked up at her hopefully. Taylor nearly lost it, the last thing she needed was a duel between Lily and James right outside her dormitory.

"Lily's already had enough of your tricks! Just leave her alone and let me pass!" she ordered between clenched teeth.

"Right." James quickly moved out of the way and Taylor entered the Dormitory, giving James one last look before she slammed the door in his face. She suspected that as soon as the door closed that he sat right back down again. Shaking her head, she threw her things down on her bed, muttering something about "weirdos".

She sat down heavily upon the bed, dropping her face into her hands. The room was silent other than a soft moaning noise.

Taylor jerked her head up, wondering what the noise was and where it was coming from. She listened closely. There it was again! That soft moaning sound, it sounded like someone was - crying! Taylor got up and glanced around the room. No one was there. But Lily's bed had the curtains closed. Taylor hesitated and then walked over to the bed. She listened again. There was no doubt about it, Lily Evans was crying.

"Lily?" Taylor called softly.

There was silence.

"Lily, are you okay?" Taylor inquired, worriedly. The seriousness of the situation was hitting her. Lily never cried. Something terrible must have happened if she was crying now. Taylor didn't really want to know what was horrible enough to make Lily Evans cry, but she suspected that it probably had something to do with James sitting outside the door.

Lily probably didn't want to tell her either, because she had stopped crying and wasn't moving at all behind the curtains. She made no sound, but Taylor knew she was still there.

Taylor sat back down upon her bed, wondering what she should do.

Just then the door opened and a flustered curly blonde walked in. Lily would talk to Diane. Taylor got up and had a hurried whispered conversation, explaining to her what had happened and even the part about James in front of the door. Diane's eyes grew wide and she nodded, telling Taylor to leave. She too knew that whatever had happened was serious.

Diane dropped her stuff on her bed and then cautiously approached Lily's bed. At first she didn't believe Taylor, but Lily had been acting weird today, and Diane knew that something strange was going on.

A small sob escaped from behind the curtains, and Diane realized that Taylor was telling the truth.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Diane asked softly.

"Everything." Came the quiet reply. Lily dissolved into tears and Diane pulled back the curtains, sitting down on the end of her best friend's bed.

Diane placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, letting Lily cry for a few more minutes before she decided to interrogate. Her curiosity soon got the best of her and she asked the first question.

"Lily, why are you crying?" Diane asked in a gentle voice that she normally would use with a child.

Lily became quiet even though the tears continued to stream down her face. She looked up at Diane with a faraway look in her eyes as if her mind was elsewhere.

Then suddenly she laid back down on the pillows, staring up at the ceiling, as if she were still trying to answer Diane's question. Diane was perplexed by Lily's behavior. Was she sick? Did someone she knew die?

"That's alright, Lily. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Diane said. She made a move to get up, but suddenly Lily mumbled something.

"James."

"What?" Diane didn't hear what she had said.

"Diane, I did something horrible," Lily moaned.

Diane looked at Lily, who was still staring at the ceiling like a zombie. She listened in silence, waiting for Lily to continue.

"Remember when James and I got detention last night? I cursed him then. I hurt him real bad."

Diane snorted. She never thought she'd see the day when Lily Evans would be sorry that she cursed James Potter.

"It's not funny!" Lily snapped, shutting Diane up immediately.

"Well, it is actually," Lily admitted, remembering how James had looked with white hair and spots all over him, with a tiny smile.

"But that's not the point," she said quickly and the smile vanished.

"You see, Diane, I did something, and well, now James - he – er…" Lily was lost for words and was coming closer and closer to tears again.

"What? What did you do to him, Lily?" Diane asked in a panicked voice.

"I - I – I don't know – but Diane I think he loves me now!" With that Lily dissolved into tears.

At first Diane was so shocked and relieved that she almost burst out laughing, but then she began to wonder if the words she had just heard were really true. She kept thinking about the way Lily had backed away from him, and the way he had looked at Lily with that familiar sparkle in his eyes that he used to reserve for Diane, and what would scare Lily more than anything. It all suddenly made sense.

Diane gasped.

Could it be possible? Could James really in love with Lily!?

**A/N: The next chapter should be out this weekend! Sorry it was so short again. Please Review!**


	6. Twisted

**Author's Note****: Thank you everyone who reviewed. I apologize for not putting this chapter up over the weekend like I promised. My internet went down a couple of times and some things came up that I hadn't expected. Here's the chapter, Please Review!**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 6****: Twisted**

Sirius, Remus and Mary sat in the common room by the fire. Taylor had joined them a little while ago and was sitting on the floor, attempting to understand something in her Charms textbook. They were waiting for Diane. Taylor had already explained to them the situation with Lily and how she found James waiting for Lily outside their dormitory. But it only made matters more confusing for them.

Suddenly, the portrait banged open and a small rat faced boy stumbled into the common room, nearly getting his foot caught.

"Hi Peter," Sirius greeted him, knowing without turning around who it was

"Hi guys! What are you doing?" Peter asked, plopping down onto a chair near the fire.

"We're waiting for Diane," Sirius said.

Peter looked at them, confused. He didn't know what was going on. He had missed the entire situation, having overslept for the third time that week.

"Where is she? It shouldn't be taking her this long," Mary said nervously, hoping that Lily had not turned her anger on Diane.

In their third year, Lily had "accidentally" hit Mary with a jelly leg curse. It had been very powerful and Mary had been confined to the Dormitory for three whole hours until Diane finally found a seventh year who was able to reverse the charm.

Mary shook her head, smiling at the memory. Hopefully nothing like that would happen to Diane.

"I hate Charms," Taylor grumbled. She slammed the book shut and sat, staring into the fire. The room lapsed once more into silence.

The minutes ticked by. All five pairs of eyes were on the clock, even though Peter had no idea what they were waiting for Diane for.

A group of giggling second years came in and were very surprised to find five seventh years sitting in silence and watching the clock.

"What's wrong with them?" one girl whispered.

"I don't know. Maybe it's one of those things you do when you become a seventh year," said a boy.

"Oh."

"Maybe we should do that then," suggested another girl who desperately wanted to be cool like the older students.

They glanced at each other and then back at the seventh years, who seemed unaware of their presence. Without a second thought, they all sat down on the other side of the room and joined the seventh years in their game of "clock watching".

* * *

It had been perhaps fifteen minutes before someone actually came out of the Girl's dormitory, quietly shutting the door behind her. Then she descended down the stairs.

She came into the common room and glanced around. She was very shocked to find her five friends and five second years all staring at the large grandfather clock. They seemed to be very content, almost as if they were concentrating and it was some type of game. Diane found this very amusing as she watched all ten pairs of eyes move ever so slightly as the minute hand moved.

"Hi guys," Diane said, sitting down beside them.

"Oh, hi," Mary said. Her eyes never moved from the clock. Diane was virtually unnoticed.

"What exactly are you doing?" she asked.

"Clock watching," Mary answered in a monotone voice.

"Er – okay." Diane was confused by their strange behavior.

"What are you waiting for?" Diane asked after a moment.

"Diane," Mary said, not noticing that she was sitting right beside her.

"Right." Diane nodded . She started grinning and then she started giggling. Eventually her giggles bubbled over and she just started laughing outright.

"Huh?" Mary snapped out of it and so did Sirius, who instantly began stretching and rubbing his aching neck. Remus though was mystified as the clock's hand moved AGAIN!

"Wow!" gasped a second year.

"Fascinating," observed another with mouth agape.

How come no one had told them about this game before? The seventh years must have been keeping it to themselves.

"Remus. Earth to Remus!"

It took them a while to get Remus to leave the amazing clock. It also took them a while to shut Diane up. She became so loud that she was soon howling with laughter. The second years eventually snapped out of their trance, along with Remus, thanks to Diane's uncalled for outburst. Peter had fallen asleep again and Taylor went back to her dormitory where there would be no tantalizing clocks to distract her from finishing her homework.

"Come on, let's go," Mary urged, glaring at Diane who was still keeling over with laughter.

The three of them managed to drag Diane out of the common room. They found an empty classroom and attempted to pry information from her about Lily and James. This effort proved unsuccessful and hopeless.

"She's not going to calm down any time soon is she?" Sirius asked.

Mary and Remus decided that it was time for dinner.

* * *

Back in the common room, the second years were explaining the game to a group of first years.

"It's a blast! See all you have to do is sit down," explained a second year. The other students obediently sat down.

"And turn yourselves toward the clock. Now just stare at it," he instructed them. The other students did this.

"This is supposed to be fun?" asked one girl, cracking up laughing. She turned around to see everyone staring intently up at the clock. Nothing moved in the entire room except for the second hand. Her opinion about the game changed after that and she found herself just as involved in "clock watching" as the others.

They even got to see not just the second hand move, but also to their luck, they witnessed a rare moment when the HOUR hand MOVED!

It was bound to keep them entertained for hours and hours. Who needs a radio or a muggle telly when you had "CLOCK WATCHING!"

* * *

"She's still laughing," Mary sighed. They had gone to dinner and came back.

Diane was still laughing. But she had made progress. She managed to stop laughing completely for one whole minute. She got "I" out before the giggles attacked again. You could hardly tell because she was now laughing like a hyena.

"I knew that girls giggled but never like that," Remus remarked.

"Diane is exempt to the usual rules," Mary explained.

"She'll be okay, perhaps in a month or so," Sirius said, hopefully.

They didn't realize that the clock watching incident was just the tip of the iceberg, and that something even bigger had Diane in hysterics. Eventually, Diane did calm down. Three very bored students had to wait another fifteen minutes or so before they could finally ask her what had happened.

"What's wrong with Lily?" Mary asked.

They had put a charm on her to stop her from laughing, but apparently it wasn't necessary because Diane couldn't laugh anymore. She could barely breathe.

"Lily - oh - uh - yeah - she -" She stopped to catch her breath.

"She - was crying - because - you won't believe this - but - James - loves her!" Diane exclaimed at last.

Three pairs of wide eyes stared back at Diane who was now struggling once more for breath. Mary smiled and shook her head.

"Haha, now I see what was so funny! Good one," Mary said, with a fake chuckle.

"No, really!" Diane tried again to explain but Sirius just shook his head incredulously.

"You're barking mad!"

"I agree." Remus nodded alongside Sirius, staring at Diane as if she'd just told them that she was eloping with Severus Snape and having his babies.

"Want proof?" Diane said, getting back her breath.

"You're lying. It's impossible. Lily and James? NO way!" Remus spoke for all of them, because that was what they were all thinking. They would've been more likely to believe it if Diane _had_ told them she was eloping with Snape and having his babies (which was of course NEVER going to happen). Lily and James HATED each other, and tried to kill each other on a daily basis. There was just no way that James could ever be in love with Lily.

"I didn't realize it myself until she told me and I put the pieces together. I'm sure you noticed that ever since their detention, James and Lily have been acting weird. It's because Lily cursed James during detention and put some type of memory charm on him. Now, he can't remember that he hates her and he loves her instead!" She paused to take a breath. The three others were shaking their heads in disbelief.

"Think about it. What scares Lily the most? Why would James be sitting in front of the dormitory and acting all nice and weird to Lily? Didn't you see that look in his eyes every time he saw her? And what else could ever make Lily Evans cry?" Diane waited for them to see what she saw now. She wanted them to put the pieces together like she had done and realize the truth.

"Nah. It's impossible," Sirius insisted. Mary and Remus nodded.

"Fine. I'll give you proof. Follow me!" Diane took off down the hall.

The three others looked at each other and shrugged, and then followed the blonde down the hall.

* * *

Lily sat in the dormitory, anxiously rubbing her hands together. She and Diane had come up with a plan to figure out if James really was having a memory problem and loved her. Lily truly hoped that she could reverse the spell before any of the teachers figured out the serious mess she had caused. Reluctantly, she got up and walked out of the dormitory.

"Hi Lily!"

Lily turned around and nearly jumped. She still wasn't used to James being all nice to her and acting so strange. James stood there, smiling at her with that gleam in his eyes. Lily winced and looked away.

"Er, hi James," Lily said, avoiding his eyes.

"You look nice today. But you always look beautiful, don't you," he complimented her.

"Right," Lily muttered, not listening to a word he was saying. She headed for the portrait as James continued to ramble on about how pretty she looked.

"You look even more beautiful than a lily. Did anyone ever tell you that those green eyes of yours are amazing? I've never seen a shade of green that vivid and bright," he was saying, staring at Lily in wonderment.

"Yep," Lily said, still not listening to him.

"Lily, I was wondering if you would go to Hogsmeade this weekend with me. You know on a date," he said, smiling shyly.

Lily didn't answer, she was waiting for someone so she could enact her plan. This meeting would determine everything and then she could figure out how to fix this mess. She waited impatiently, unaware that James was asking her to go to Hogsmeade with him for the third time in the last five minutes.

"Lily?" James asked, slightly hurt.

Lily waved him off. But James persisted. He got all the way to seven attempts before Lily finally lost her temper.

"Shut UP!"

"Will you?"

"Will you shut up?"

"Only if you say yes."

"Sure, yes, whatever," Lily agreed, overjoyed that he was finally going to shut up. She didn't know what she was answering to but at that moment their conversation was driven from her mind. Jenn had finally come to the common room. It was time for the plan.

"Hello Jenn," Lily greeted the perky brunette, smiling sweetly.

"Er, hi Lily. Hey, James! I've been looking all over –"

James ignored her, not a good sign, and Jenn's smile dropped right off her face as she realized that something was wrong.

"Wait, why are you and James sitting closely together in the common room all alone in front of the fire and not trying to kill each other? Why aren't you insulting each other? Why do you look so guilty? And why does he keep trying to HOLD your HAND?" Jenn's eyes bugged out because James had in fact placed a calming hand on Lily's wrist.

"Ugh, stop it!" Lily swatted his hand away from her arm and got up so that they were no longer sitting next to each other. But it wasn't enough, Jenn had already misread the situation completely. Lily was about to witness what Taylor had been trying to tell everyone all along. Jenn went very psycho over James.

"What's going on? Tell me right now, Evans! What the heck are you doing with my BOYFRIEND!" Jenn's voice had risen to such a pitch that she was now shouting.

"What? I'm not doing anything with your-" Lily started to say. But before she could finish, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulder and a voice interrupted her in mid-sentence.

"Don't talk like that to her!" James snarled.

Jenn looked like she was about to smash Lily's lights out, but she was thrown off course when saw James step up behind Lily and she heard what James said. Staggering back, Jenn stared at James with wide eyes. For a split second, Lily had hoped that James was talking to her and that everything was back to normal, but with one look at Jenn's stunned face, she knew that everything she had feared about James's curse was real and that this plan wasn't working.

"W-What?" Jenn stammered.

"I said don't talk like that to her," James growled. He tightened his hands on Lily's shoulders. Lily shivered and tried to shrug him off, but it was the only thing stopping Jenn from killing her or perhaps James from killing Jenn. Jenn was momentarily distracted and that was the only reason why Lily was still living and breathing.

"Excuse me, but-"

"No, buts," James said, cutting off Jenn. His eyes were narrowed and cold. The others in the common room backed away. They had never seen James this way. The fact that it involved him DEFENDING Lily and yelling at his GIRLFRIEND made it even scarier. Once again, Lily stood frozen in horror, not believing that this was actually happening to her.

"James, what are you saying?" Jenn managed to weakly choke out.

"I'm saying that I like Lily and she deserves to be treated a whole lot better than venom by a bit-"

"Hold it!" Lily exclaimed before James could actually finish what he was saying.

James immediately stopped mid-sentence like a docile puppy. He kept his eyes on Jenn, though, even as Lily tugged on his arm so that he bent his head closer to hers.

"James, she's your girlfriend, remember?" Lily whispered in his ear.

James straightened up and recognition dawned in his eyes when he looked at Jenn again. Lily was silently hoping that this would set James back on track. She prayed that this plan would now work.

_Please, let this work! I want the old James back, the one that hates me and treats me like venom. The one that leaves me alone!_

Unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered and the plan failed miserably. In fact it back fired.

"I can't believe I actually agreed to go out with a girl like you!" James spat.

Jenn was breaking down. Her eyes were watering and she knew the thing that was about to come next. Lily's life was safe for now.

"But James, she's your enemy!" Jenn yelled back.

"No. Lily is not my enemy. How could anyone hate her?" The whole room went quiet. Lily almost fell over. But James kept a steady grip on her shoulders stopping her from hitting the floor. Jenn looked like she was about to faint too. And as a matter of fact she did.

Everyone stared at Jenn and then back at Lily and James.

* * *

"It isn't true," Mary breathed.

Diane had dragged the three of them down just in time to see the scene before them. She wasn't lying but even Diane hadn't expected this. James had remembered Jenn was his girlfriend. Then why did he still seem to think he was in love Lily? Their plan had gone wrong! Why wasn't it working?

"James is out of his bloody mind!" Sirius exclaimed.

"He's lost his mind," Remus agreed, watching in shock.

James did nothing about Jenn (she was probably just faking it anyway). Instead he took a very confused Lily by the hand. Lily didn't know what was going on or where he was taking her, but she let him lead her away. Together the two former enemies walked out of the common room, hand in hand. It was a very strange sight.

But stranger was yet to come.

For one moment the common room was completely silent. A pin could've dropped and it would've echoed for miles as if in a great canyon. Everyone held their breath as they stared at Jenn, who was passed out on the floor (with one eye open a crack), and the portrait that had slammed shut just a moment ago.

Then everyone began to breathe all at once. They began to take deep gasping breaths, attempting to revive themselves after what had just happened.

Jenn realized that James was not coming back and let out a soft whimper as the others broke out into conversation, splitting the silence.

"Holy Crap!" Sirius screeched.

Instantly the common room was full of chaos. Jenn was crying, Sirius was swearing, and whispers grew to outbursts, and yells, as everyone wanted to have their say about Gryffindor's two arch enemies becoming… friends?

"Did you just see that?" Mary asked, wide eyed.

Remus nodded, his mouth still open in shock.

**A/N: In my defense the clockwatching chapter was written while I was waiting for the last bell to ring at the end of the school day, because come on, it always moves soooo much slower. And yes, I've met girls that are as psycho and obsessive as Jenn when it comes to their boyfriends. **


	7. A Moonlit Stroll

**Author's Note****: Thank you to my wonderful reviewers! Sorry if chapter 2 was so long compared to these other ones, but there was really no way I could break that one up. Lily knew that James was going out with Jenn. Her plan was to get James to see Jenn so that James would remember that he's supposed to like Jenn, not Lily, and he would stop following Lily around. But it backfired. I hope this one isn't too confusing and isn't too "fast" you'll know what I mean after you read it.**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 7: A Moonlit Stroll**

"Come on, Lily," James said softly.

Lily numbly followed the voice, only vaguely aware of her surroundings. Right now if she was in her sound state of mind, James Potter would have six hexes on him and a black eye, but fortunately for him she was in some type of shock.

She felt his arm go around her as he gently dragged her along to who knows where they were going. Lily only remembered that a strange warmth and sense of calm descended over the confusion that was currently raging in her poor mind.

He pushed the doors open, revealing the Hogwarts grounds. Lily looked around at the sweeping hills, the dark rustling forest, and the glistening lake all bathed in moonlight even though it wasn't even a full moon. It was beautiful.

"It's such a nice night," Lily sighed as she stood in the entrance not quite ready to move.

James smiled.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked her.

"At this hour?" It was late. But the moonlight seemed to overtake her. Lily found herself fighting something that was too powerful for her weakened heart. The moonlight traced his features, revealing a James Potter that she didn't know but she might want to.

"Why not?" James challenged.

Lily struggled. This was James Potter. _But he's not. This isn't the James Potter you know. He's different. And it's so beautiful. What harm can it do?_ A lot of harm. But the moonlight overcame her and Lily found herself nodding.

"Okay," she said.

He reached out and took her hand. Again that same warmth and calm descended upon her. And Lily Evans found herself being led out into the beautiful night by none other than James Potter, her greatest foe.

They started walking toward the lake. Strolling across the grass, Lily felt the breeze rush around them, playing with her hair. It was a warm night; a beautiful night. Lily felt herself overcome with a strange happiness. She smiled a tiny smile and noticed James out of the corner of her eye, smiling back.

"What?" Lily asked, laughing nervously.

"Nothing," he said, laughing along with her. But the amused smile never left his face.

It wasn't long before they reached the gleaming lake. The water danced in the moonlight, rippling and pulsing with the gentle breeze. Lily caught her breath.

"Beautiful isn't it? I take it you don't get out here as much as you'd like," he chuckled softly, reawakening her state of surprise.

"Yeah," Lily admitted, guiltily. It was weird how much this version of James seemed to understand her and how comfortable she already felt at his side. But it could be just because her whole world had been turned upside down and she was still in shock.

"You know you're beautiful," James complimented her.

James was staring at her again. Lily felt the heat rise in her face but this type of shy embarrassment was something that she was unfamiliar with. She pushed her red hair behind her ears, running her fingers through it nervously.

"No, I'm not-" She insisted but she froze momentarily as a warm hand touched her forehead, gently putting a loose strand of her hair back into place.

He touched her cheek and their eyes met. Lily shivered even though she wasn't cold. James seemed to look slightly nervous as well, as if the connection was something he too had never experienced before. Lily had never felt like this before. Suddenly, the world seemed to be shut off and it was just her and James. Even the old facts, that she was his enemy and he was under a memory charm, thanks to her, were shut down with the rest of her brain. She was dizzy and light headed.

Slowly, he leaned toward her. They were now closer than they had ever been in all their life. For one scary moment both of them teetered on the edge. They were walking that thin line between turning back and change. All they had to do was lean an inch more forward and it would be complete. Lily fought with all her might. But the old hate was gone, diminished after one look in those brown eyes.

She inched forward.

Their lips touched.

It was only her and James. The world collapsed around her. Lily nearly fainted. She had never felt anything like this before. Never. It was just so... wonderful, strange, new, lovely, beautiful, amazing. It was everything she had ever hoped for, but more. Lily couldn't even describe it. Was it love?

She trembled in his arms. The kiss was gentle, but it expressed a passion that neither of them had ever experienced before. James held her in his arms and she clung to him, not wanting to let go of that feeling. She didn't want it to end.

At last they drew back, gasping for breath. Lily stared into his brown eyes breathing heavily. He stared back into her emerald green eyes. An identical look of shock lined both of their faces. They clearly hadn't been expecting that.

"That was -" James started, catching his breath.

"Yeah it was -" Lily stumbled for the right word.

"Wow," James finished.

"Amazing," Lily murmured quietly, fully agreeing with James for the first time in her life.

They just stood there not quite sure what to do or say. Drowning in each other's eyes, they were breathless. The only thing that was stopping them from returning to bliss was those few inches of space that remained between them. James looked as if he were about to say something but couldn't quite find the words. Lily quickly solved that problem and moved forward catching James lips with her own. Whatever he had been about to say was quickly forgotten, as well as the rest of the world. The moment was relived.

James seemed to be caught off guard. Apparently he hadn't been expecting Lily to make the first move. He recovered slipping his arms around her waist and holding her too him.

Lily stood out there in the moonlight, by the lake with James Potter for what seemed like eternity. Yet it seemed to pass by so quickly as if in a second's time. But the real world was crashing into their separate world. Their fantasy world was rudely interrupted.

"JAMES AND LILY!?" A scream broke them from their thoughts.

Lily leapt back and broke free of James as if he were on fire. Reality called. James tried to pull her back, but following her gaze, he turned and saw the person who had rudely interrupted them.

Jenn was standing in front of them.

Lily looked at Jenn and then back at James. For the first time, she seemed to realize what she had done. With a gasp, she clamped her hand over her mouth.

"YOU!" Jenn whirled on Lily.

Jenn's eyes blazed. She was not the same Jenn that usually cowered before Lily. Lily knew that she was not going to get out of this one easily.

James came up behind Jenn, having moved silently and swiftly when she honed in on Lily. Lily watched him moving closer. She took her wand very slowly from her pocket. Jenn was still moving toward her and Lily was doing her best to back away. She didn't want to hurt Jenn if it wasn't necessary, but this girl had gone insane!

"_Stupefy_!" she said, raising her wand.

"_Expilliarmus_!" cried the other two in unison.

James Potter watched as both of the girls dropped to the ground. Jenn went slamming into a tree, her wand falling helplessly beside her. Lily, though, stood wavering on the spot, as if she were fighting the urge to throw up.

"Lily?" he shouted, rushing forward.

Lily looked up weakly and then dropped into a dead faint.

James ignored the unconscious Jenn. He caught Lily in his arms, and gently lowered her to the ground. Careful not to hurt her in any way, he took out his wand. He decided not to wake her. Putting his wand in the pocket of his robes, he stood up again. He made up his mind. He would go back to the castle and take her back to the dormitory. Lifting Lily gingerly in his arms, he started slowly across the grounds, heading for the castle doors.

* * *

Back in the Common Room...

Everyone had left. The only people that remained were Mary, Diane, Sirius and Remus. Taylor had gone looking for Jenn, muttering something about Lily's life being at risk. Peter had slept through the entire thing, and had only woken up long enough to go back to sleep on the floor of his dormitory.

"Holy -"

"You've already said it enough times, Sirius," Diane cut in.

Sirius scowled at her. He had refrained to only saying a swear every two minutes, but the other three were still getting very tired of it.

"I still can't believe it!" Remus exclaimed.

"Was that enough entertainment for you Sirius?" Diane asked, smugly.

"That was too much entertainment. I think I might have a heart attack if I see anything else."

"Then, don't look now," Mary warned him, quickly jumping to her feet.

The portrait had opened. James Potter had come in and in his arms he was carrying an unconscious Lily Evans.

And they thought that this night couldn't get any more stranger.

"What the -" Sirius started to swear again but stopped himself in mid-sentence.

"What happened?!" Diane asked, rushing over to them. She still didn't entirely trust James, even though, like Lily she was convinced that he was under some kind of memory charm.

"She fainted," James informed her.

"And you expect me to believe that all the other times Lily Evans turned up with hexes all over her body that she fainted all those times too," Mary muttered sarcastically to Remus.

Diane shot her a glare, and Mary and Remus hid a grin.

James looked very perplexed, but he was too worried about his Lily to care at all. Diane noticed that James had that concerned sincere look in his eyes every time he glanced at the girl he was carrying gingerly in his arms.

"Here, we'll put her up in the girl's dormitory," Diane offered generously. She met James' gaze and nodded. She was the only one that really understood what Lily had done to James during detention.

Sirius made a choking sound, but Diane ignored him. Mary pulled out her wand and Diane did the same. James drew back, not liking the looks of the wands aimed at him and his precious Lily. After his previous experience he wasn't sure who to trust.

"I'll just carry her up, if that's okay." He didn't wait to see what they would say, he just started up the staircase toward the dormitories. He didn't hear Sirius and Remus making gagging noises at the bottom of the steps. Nor did he hear Mary and Diane follow him up the steps, just to make sure he didn't remember the old hatred and decide to hex Lily half way up the stairs.

Softly, he entered the room and pushed open the door. Thankfully, no one was in there other than Mary and Diane, who stood hovering in the doorway unnoticed.

Gently, he placed the girl down on the bed. He didn't know how, but for some reason he knew it was hers. He carefully placed her head on the pillow and removed himself from her.

He stood watching her for a minute, just looking at her lovely form. Her red hair spread out all over the pillow and a more peaceful look had settled upon her face. Even though she was sleeping, she still looked as if her mouth was drawn tight and she was fighting some sort of battle even in slumber. Did she ever stop fighting?

He leaned down, his face close to hers, listening to her steady breathing. Then he brushed away a strand of hair from her forehead, replacing it behind her ear. Sweeping down, he kissed her softly on the cheek.

"You're amazing, Lily," he whispered.

Then he stood up and brushed past Diane and Mary, exiting the room.

Diane caught her breath and tried to stop the tear that drifted down her cheek. She wished that she had that kind of relationship. She wanted a boy that loved her, and would whisper in her ear, and kiss her cheek, and carry her up a flight of stairs. If only things could be that way. But it hadn't worked out between her and James. And Diane thought her romantic future looked rather bleak and hopeless at the moment.

"I don't like this," Mary whispered.

"What don't you like about it?" Diane asked hotly. She was a hopeless romantic, and this new James and his devotion to Lily was already winning her over.

"What's going to happen when it wears off?" Mary wondered.

Diane looked at her in shock. She hadn't thought of that. What would happen when the charm wore off?

**A/N: Please review! Next chapter will hopefully be up sometime this weekend or next week but finals are coming so who knows how much time I'll have. I'm sorry this wasn't up sooner! **


	8. Nightmares

**Author's Note:** I'm late again! I'm sorry. I've been really busy, 4 more days of school, 3 are finals and then I'm done. I'll have nothing to do but write for the rest of June. Thank you babyjayy, mione-xavier, AmeliaBedelia, NatiFcs28, Agloechen, The all mighty and powerful M, Claire- 125, J.E.A.R.K. Potter, starborn, Black Mistress and Kita for the wonderful reviews.  
  
By the way Lily fainted just because she was overwhelmed. She just kissed her enemy and now Jenn went psycho on her. I know confusing, it had another purpose when I originally wrote this about a year ago but I never developed the idea. I'm saving that for the plot of my next story.  
  
**Cursed **

**By HazelMist  
**  
**Chapter 8: Nightmares  
**  
The clock struck five and Lily rolled over onto her side shivering, half dragging the blanket with her. Sweat broke out across her forehead and still she shivered as if she were in some kind of fever. But it was not illness that pursued her. It was a nightmare.  
  
_Lily found herself in the middle of chaos. Havoc was everywhere. People were running and screaming in every direction. Children wailed for their parents and mothers screeched the names of their off springs. Fathers stepped forward and joined a group of brave men slowly surging toward the creators of this hell. A line of black cloaked masked figures had their wands out and were shooting off lights every few seconds. Lily instantly recognized that the only spells they used were the two unforgivable curses, pain and death.  
  
Lily watched as one after another of the brave ones fell. Woman and children cried and many stood up to fight for themselves including a seven year old red head who reminded Lily of herself.  
  
Lily watched in slow motion as the tiny red head stood up from her father's dead body and her mother's weeping figure and raised her arms. In her hand she carried what must have been her now dead father's wand. Lily wanted to scream and to grab that little girl who was about to be killed but she was frozen in place just like all the others who seemed preoccupied with shock or their lost loved ones.  
  
The small girl looked bravely on at the sea of darkness that was cruelly laughing in her face. A blazing courage radiated off of her in an aura like mist. She was brave and was willing to sacrifice herself.  
  
"STUPEFY!"  
  
"EXPILLIARMUS!"  
  
"STUPEFY!"  
  
Three spells were all she got out. Three cloaked figures fell in surprise and the people became aware of themselves as the head of the darkness raised his wand and muttered the killing curse. The powerful seven year old who had shown courage beyond her years fell to the ground, defeated. But the crowd now surged forward chasing the death eaters out of Diagon Alley. It was too late for her.  
  
Lily ran forward and knelt down beside the girl. The bravery still alit in those bright blue eyes of hers. But the life was gone from her body. Lily took her hand in hers. It was cold, lifeless.  
  
A cruel laugh interrupted her tears. Lily glanced up glaring at whoever dared to enjoy the smell of the death of an innocent seven year old. Bright red eyes met hers. Heartless eyes that made the fear rise in her body and her blood run cold. But the girls image remained in her head. She had defeated the fear. Could Lily?  
  
Lily stood up but the dream was ending and she felt herself being thrown from the place.  
  
"I'll end this! I promise I'll end this!" Lily screamed in a final promise.  
  
The cruel laughter filled her ears as she was spinning, spinning, spinning away.  
_  
**BANG!**  
  
Lily's eyes snapped open. She was on the floor and on top of her was a seething someone with glaring red eyes. Lily screamed.  
  
"Silencio."  
  
Lily couldn't hear anything but her own screaming. She went on screaming in a slightly muffled voice. She could see nothing in the pitch black of the dormitories. The person was nothing but a dark shadow with slightly red eyes.  
  
"Shut up." Mary mumbled rolling over onto her side and pulling the pillow over her head.  
  
The person was hovering over her. Its wand was raised. Lily's eyes grew wide and she let out a shriek. The person moved toward her but Lily rolled out of the way as a red light shot out of the wand.  
  
Lily scrambled to her feet backing toward the wall. The person swore and started toward her again. Lily noticed that the wand was trembling in the person's hand.  
  
If only she had her wand! Lily spotted it on the bureau across the room by her bedside. Quick as a flash Lily darted past the clumsy figure. Narrowly avoiding a blue light she reached for her wand and faced the person.  
  
"Expilliarmus!"  
  
The wand soared out of the figure's trembling hand and into her own. Lily clutched it tight and raised her own wand, green eyes blazing. She was ready to stun them.  
  
Mary drowsily opened her eyes and glanced around the room. She had heard voices and what sounded like someone moving around the room and knocking into objects. Was someone coming back drunk? She sat up awake remembering the last time a fifth year had got into their dorm by accident. It hadn't been a very pleasant situation and it had ended with them puking all over Mary. Mary winced and grabbed her wand. That was when she caught sight of Lily.  
  
"Lumos." Lily whispered.  
  
The cloaked figure made a choking noise and removed the hood. Lily's eyes grew to the size of saucers as she caught sight of the face.  
  
With sweat pouring from her forehead and her eyes slightly out of focus a familiar girl looked back at her. Dropping to her knees weakly she managed to say in a weak yet clear voice.  
  
"Lily - stop - Dark Lord - sent - curse -" Then her voice faded and her head dropped onto her chest.  
  
Mary stood up lighting her own wand. The light fell on the girl's form. It was . . .  
  
"Jenn!?" Mary exclaimed.  
  
Mary and Lily both lowered their wands. Lily cautiously started toward the huddled form that was Jenn. Mary ran over and knelt down in front of Jenn wondering what was wrong with her.  
  
Mary reached out to touch her friend's shoulder but Jenn drew back a little.  
  
"Be careful Mary." Lily said quietly. She was just as bewildered as Mary was.  
  
"Jenn? Can you hear me?" Mary asked quietly.  
  
Jenn was muttering under her breath as if she were talking to herself.  
  
"No - no I won't - please leave me" She was saying.  
  
Mary turned her back on Jenn momentarily to glance at Lily. Lily shrugged, still perplexed and thinking.  
  
"Expilliarmus!"  
  
Both wands shot out of Lily's hands and into Jenn's. She jumped to her feet and pointed her wand at Mary.  
  
"Cru -"  
  
"Cru -"  
  
Someone else was fumbling around the room looking for the light. Lily was backing against the wall knowing what was coming next.  
  
"Cruc -"  
  
"Ad -"  
  
"Adva -"  
  
Finally Jenn started to lower her wand just to raise it again and then lower it. It was very confusing. She was stuttering and her eyes were filled with pain. She was continually wincing. Suddenly her head snapped back and her eyes started glowing more then they had before.  
  
Lily knew what she had to do. She ran forward just as Jenn raised her wand tears pouring from her eyes.  
  
Several things happened at once. Lily hurled herself at Jenn and they went crashing to the floor, Lily fighting for her life and Jenn fighting for control of the wands.  
  
Mary regained her senses and went for her wand. She tripped over Diane who had woken up and was also trying to find the wand. It seemed hopeless as Diane and Mary tried to find the light and Jenn and Lily fought a battle they couldn't control. Luckily Taylor and Lily came through.  
  
Lily grabbed her wand and stood up and just as Jenn was about to get to her feet Taylor groggily leapt forward. She fell on her leg causing her to be momentarily trapped. Lily was able to cast the stunning spell and Diane and Mary finally found the light ending the chaos.  
  
For a long moment they just stood there trying to catch their breath. Lily cast the stunning spell again just to make sure she had hit Jenn. Taylor was wearily rubbing her half opened eyes. Mary was fuming at Diane and Jenn. Diane was still trying to comprehend the situation along with Taylor who was still trying to get her eyes open.  
  
"Well that was er weird?" Diane said still not fully understanding what had happened.  
  
"I can't believe she did that! She almost murdered us!" Mary said.  
  
"Huh?" Taylor asked suppressing a yawn.  
  
"She almost f---" Mary was now swearing regardless of the other girl's stares.  
  
Diane was trying to get Mary to calm down to figure out what was going on. Lily and Taylor though were inching toward Jenn. Lily sat down on the ground and Taylor watched bewildered as Lily opened one eyelid and examined Jenn's eye.  
  
"What are you doing?!?" Mary asked. She was still scared and angry that she had almost been killed by someone she usually trusted.  
  
"Mary it's okay. She's stunned." Lily explained.  
  
"I know that. But you saw that maniac she - she - she was trying to KILL us! Don't you get it? I know I usually don't have people walking around shouting unforgivable curses at me." Mary said angrily.  
  
"What happened?" Diane asked.  
  
Lily and Mary both ignored Diane. Diane exchanged a confused glance with Taylor who merely shrugged. Lily was looking at Jenn's eye again and finally she got to her feet and glanced at the others.  
  
"It was the Imperius curse. Jenn wasn't acting on her own behalf. I think it was -" Lily stopped as her friends shuddered.  
  
"It can't be, that would mean. Lily, no, he wouldn't be trying to get at us. He wouldn't be taking advantage of Jenn. It's just too bizarre." Mary exclaimed.  
  
"Well, someone was controlling Jenn. She wasn't just going psycho. She was fighting the curse. Most people can't hold out for as long as she did." Lily's voice trailed off.  
  
She was thinking of someone else who was being controlled. James, in some sense was being controlled by her. If only she could reverse the spell. She sighed. It wasn't her fault he had attached himself to her.  
  
"I don't know Lily. You know what that means. If it's true about Jenn and everything. We should tell Dumbledore." Mary said softly.  
  
"I know." Lily said quietly.  
  
"What's going on!?!" Diane exclaimed frustrated.  
  
"We're in danger. The Dark Lord is after us."  
  
With that Lily hurriedly changed into her robes and levitated Jenn. With Mary and a disgruntled Taylor and Diane they marched out of the common room and headed for Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Where's Dumbledore's office?" Taylor asked after about five minutes.  
  
They kept on walking. Taylor's question went unanswered. Apparently Lily, Diane and Mary knew where it was because ten minutes later they came to an abrupt halt. They were standing in front of a weird looking statue of a gargoyle.  
  
"Chocolate Frog." Lily said to it.  
  
"Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans." Diane said to it at the same time.  
  
"That's not the password." Lily said to her.  
  
"Yes it is. You just said the wrong password though." She shot back.  
  
"No I didn't I said the right one." Lily said.  
  
"No I'm right."  
  
"No you're wrong, I'm right." Lily exclaimed her voice elevating. Mary stepped in at this point.  
  
"That's not the password." Mary said rolling her eyes.  
  
Lily looked triumphant and Diane scowled.  
  
"You're both wrong." Mary explained. The smirk was wiped off of Lily's face.  
  
"Honeydukes." Mary said.  
  
The gargoyle moved aside revealing a winding staircase. She stepped onto the staircase and beckoned for them to follow her. Lily and Diane stepped on and then Taylor hurriedly followed them in. The gargoyle jumped back blocking the doorway behind them. The staircase began to move higher. Then it suddenly stopped and the girls got off with Jenn and marched toward a door straight ahead labeled "Professor Dumbledore"  
  
Mary hesitated a moment and then raised her fist. She rapped four times on the closed door.  
  
They backed away as there were footsteps. A moment later the door opened to reveal their headmaster fully dressed and staring at them curiously. But he wasn't all that surprised. Lily could tell that he had been up for some time. Dumbledore knew about everything that went on in the school. He had probably been expecting this.  
  
"Come in." He said opening the door.  
  
Shyly they followed him into the office. The door closed behind them and they gathered around Dumbledore's desk. Lily dropped Jenn quietly into a chair in front of the desk.  
  
"What happened to Ms. Johnson." Dumbledore said referring to Jenn.  
  
"We stunned her." Lily managed to say.  
  
"Why did you stun her Ms. Evans?" The Professor asked peering at them over his spectacles. The light in his eyes was not as bright as it usually was. He knew it was serious.  
  
Lily and Mary exchanged a brief glance before Lily launched into the tale. Mary occasionally butted in to inform Dumbledore of something she had forgotten. But other then that Lily continued to speak and the others remained silent. Diane and Taylor were hearing the story for the first time and were in shock. They couldn't believe that they had slept through the horror.  
  
When Lily finished Dumbledore walked over to Jenn and did the same as she had done, peeled back an eyelid and examined Jenn's eye. He tapped her with the wand a few times and muttered an incantation they couldn't understand. Nothing happened and Dumbledore went back to his desk.  
  
"Your suspicions are confirmed Ms. Evans." Dumbledore said slowly.  
  
"Jennifer Johnson was not acting under her own power but under the Imperio curse. And I'm afraid that it was the work of Voldemort (everyone but Dumbledore and Lily shuddered) that caused her to attack you." Dumbledore stared at Lily who was looking at the motionless Jenn. Finally after a minute or so she raised her eyes to meet his.  
  
"So it's true." She said in a whisper.  
  
"We can never be sure. But it does seem that way." Dumbledore said quietly.  
  
Lily said nothing but once again began looking at the ground.  
  
"Ms. McKinnon would you kindly take Ms. Johnson down to the hospital wing?" Mary nodded and levitated Jenn and walked out.  
  
"And you two." Dumbledore pointed to Taylor & Diane. "May go back to your dormitories."  
  
Lily started to follow.  
  
"I would like to speak to you for one more moment." Dumbledore said stopping her.  
  
Sighing Lily watched her friends go. Diane and Taylor hesitated but Lily gave them a weak wave and they left reluctantly. The door shut and Lily was all alone. She turned to Dumbledore and waited.  
  
"This will only take a minute." Dumbledore told her.  
  
Lily let her eyes wander to the floor guiltily. She knew that Dumbledore was going to punish her for her spell on James. As soon as she got out of here she was going to head for the library and search for the counter curse.  
  
"You may take this as a shock Lily."  
  
Lily looked up. This wasn't about James.  
  
"I believe Voldemort is after you." He said.  
  
"He's after all of us." Lily said.  
  
"Of course he is. But Lily you're not understanding the full means of this. You are a powerful witch. You're quick and clever and at the top of your class. You are one of the people that stand in his way to power. He's after you." Dumbledore explained.  
  
She took a staggering step back. She was in the dark lord's way? She was stopping him? But how?  
  
"I know it's not what you expected. There are a few others that he is after too. You are not alone in this situation. But Lily I must warn you. Be careful of who you trust." With that the headmaster finished speaking. Lily walked out of the office and hurried down the staircase, past the statue.  
  
She stopped in the hallway deep in thought. Voldemort was after her. He was trying to kill her. Dumbledore's words rang in her head.  
  
"But Lily I must warn you. Be careful of who you trust."  
  
Lily caught her breath. Jenn had just proven that statement. At any time Mary, Diane, Taylor, Sirius, Remus or even James could turn on her and . . . Lily didn't want to think of it. She shook these horrendous thoughts from her head and started running back to the common room.  
  
Lily didn't get very far because a moment later she slammed into something hard and went hurtling to the ground.  
  
Lily jumped turning her head in all directions to see what she had bumped into. She saw nothing. But something, someone grabbed her around the waist pulling her close. Lily was about to scream but a kiss silence her. Lily was instantly calmed. But a minute later she broke away breathing heavily.  
  
"JAMES! I'M GOING TO HURT YOU! DON'T EVER SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT AGAIN! EVER!" She exclaimed. Then she pushed him off of her and ran off down the hallway leaving a confused James behind.  
  
James came back to the common room in low spirits. He threw himself down on the chair and stared up at the ceiling. Why was Lily always so cold towards him? He loved her. Couldn't she see that?  
  
James continued to stare at the ceiling. Suddenly his brow furrowed and he sat up still looking at it. For some strange reason it seemed like he had been on the ceiling tied up. It was like a weird flashback. James put a hand on his head. That was strange.  
  
"Hey Buddy how's it going? I heard Lily blew you off." Sirius had arrived. He was always in high spirits. Gossip traveled faster then the wind.  
  
"How'd you know?"  
  
"I have my ways." Sirius said studying his nails in a feminine way.  
  
James rolled his eyes not really wanting to know.  
  
"Hey cheer up old pal. It's not the end of the world. She'll be back for you ... if she's desperate enough." Sirius said.  
  
"Thanks for the encouragement." James said sarcastically.  
  
Sirius was saying something, probably more "encouragement" but James wasn't listening. He had gone back to thinking about Lily and his misery, quite pathetic.  
  
Meanwhile back in the Girls Dormitories...  
  
"I can't believe it." Taylor said in a low voice.  
  
"I'm still wondering if they're telling the truth." Diane said softly.  
  
They were talking in low voices on the floor of the dormitory. Lily had come back but was in the bathroom. Mary was still hadn't come back yet.  
  
"Do you think it's true?" Taylor asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That he's after us." Taylor whispered not able to bring herself to say that name.  
  
Diane was quiet for a long time.  
  
The door opened and Mary came into the dormitory.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Hi." The two other girls answered.  
  
"Where's Lily?" Mary asked.  
  
Taylor pointed toward the bathroom. Mary nodded silently. Then she came and sat down beside the girls.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Mary asked seeing their serious faces.  
  
"If we're in danger." Taylor said still waiting for Diane's reply.  
  
Mary turned white and looked down at the ground. She knew that he was after them. She knew that just as Lily had said they were in danger.  
  
"Yes. He is. But I think he's after Lily." Diane said finally replying. The other two looked up and met Diane's gaze. They knew she was right. They just wouldn't admit it aloud.  
  
**A/N**: I know this is a little fast. I was reading this over and afterward I was a little confused as to why I did this. I guess I just wanted an action scene, and well it sort of goes with the whole Jenn going psycho over the loss of James. Again the plot wasn't fully developed because I'm saving that for another story. So if you find it confusing or have questions let me know in a review or feel free to e-mail me.  
  
HOW COULD I FORGET! Prisoner of Azkaban came out today! I can't wait to see it.  
  
And I think that's all. I'll try to have the next chapter out by Thursday afternoon or earlier!


	9. The Game of Love

**Author's Note:** I'm out of school! FINALLY! And guess what, I PASSED! YAY! Sorry about the delay, I was studying all week. I'll be updating more frequently, I promise. Thanks Starborn, AmeliaBedelia, MightyMouth, babyjayy, Agloechen, J.E.A.R.K.Potter, Black Mistress, Claire-125, Flexxybabe, and NatiFcs28 for reviewing! You guys are the best.  
  
It was a confusing chapter, but when have my chapters not been confusing? As I said before this whole story was written as a joke. I was just having fun, never checking my grammar, just seeing how quickly I could put something together. I am astounded by the response I got on both sites. It was written a while ago and I think my writing has improved somewhat since that point. Oh yeah they're seventh years! I'm sorry I'm going to have to change that part in the first chapter. I hate editing!  
  
**Cursed **

**By Hazel Mist  
  
Chapter 9: The Game of Love**  
  
Lily woke up the next day in the usual way. There was no dreams, no red eyes, no nightmares, no nothing. She sat up almost disappointed at the lack of excitement. She had gotten seemingly used to it.  
  
Yesterday had consisted of twenty to ten people questioning her and Mary on Jenn's actions. It seemed like everyone was interested in their brush with death. Lily was over it. She didn't see why people should be so interested in it. She hated that.  
  
Sighing she sat up and stretched. She showered and dressed quickly and then gathered her books together.  
  
"Lily?" Taylor asked groggily.  
  
"Yeah?" Lily asked trying to find her Transfiguration book.  
  
"It's Sunday." Taylor said before rolling over onto her side and going back to sleep.  
  
Lily laughed at her own stupidity. She dropped the books back on her bed. She could be sleeping right now.  
  
"Well since I'm already awake I mind as well go see how Jenn's doing."  
  
Lily got up and left the dormitory. She had just reached the portrait when someone tumbled down the steps.  
  
"Hey wait up."  
  
"Where do you think you're going."  
  
Lily whipped around to see Sirius and Diane struggling to their feet. They looked very strange and were constantly glaring at each other and pulling at their wrist. There was something weird going on.  
  
"We need your help." Diane said quickly taking a step before tripping and falling, pulling Sirius to the ground with her.  
  
Sirius turned red along with Diane who was now on her knees looking up at Lily with an imploring look.  
  
"What's wrong?" Lily asked trying very hard not to laugh.  
  
Diane pulled up her wrist. It was tied to Sirius' wrist.  
  
Lily couldn't help it. She started laughing.  
  
"This is not FUNNY." Diane said glaring.  
  
She yanked at her wrist again but it just resulted in pulling Sirius closer to her. Lily dropped to the ground, her lungs were going to burst from trying to hold it in.  
  
"This is no time for joking. We need your help." Diane whined.  
  
Lily finally came to her feet still chortling with laughter and giggling. But she managed to stand and ask one question.  
  
"Who did this?" Lily asked between giggles.  
  
"Some little second year." Diane said glaring.  
  
"It was all her fault. She said that the little rat could practice a spell on us and we would help him with it. Well he got it right on first try." Sirius started scowling at Diane.  
  
"It was so your fault." Diane huffed.  
  
"You were the one who said..."  
  
"I didn't know that he didn't know the counter curse. Heck I didn't even know what spell he was going to do."  
  
"Exactly that's why it's your fault." Sirius said triumphantly.  
  
Diane glared at him. Lily laughed.  
  
"Lily please hurry up and do the counter curse." Diane pleaded.  
  
"Oh I don't know this is very good blackmail." James had arrived and was standing beside Lily grinning.  
  
Lily and James exchanged sly grins.  
  
"I think we'll wait a bit." Lily said slowly.  
  
"NO!"  
  
"What was that? Sorry I couldn't hear you." Lily said stifling a laugh.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Diane and Sirius both yelled in unison.  
  
"I think there trying to tell us something." James said turning to Lily.  
  
"LILLIAN MARIE EVANS!" Diane shouted, probably waking up the whole entire school with her voice.  
  
Lily couldn't hold back the laughter any longer. Giggling she fell back into James' arms. They leaned on each other for support choking back their laughter. Diane and Sirius managed to make this situation worse by pulling on their wrists again. Pretty soon they were sticking out their tongues at each other and making funny faces, unknowingly making Lily and James laugh harder.  
  
"It's your fault."  
  
"No it's your fault."  
  
"It's your fault. Not mine."  
  
"Of course because you're Diane and a girl and nothing's ever your fault."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"SHUT UP!" James cut in.  
  
"It's your fault."  
  
"I won't do the counter curse." Lily said getting sick of their fighting. They immediately shut up. Lily did the counter curse.  
  
As soon as the wrists were free Diane and Sirius sprang apart running to opposite sides of the room. They acted as if the other was on fire. James and Lily exchanged knowing glances finding this very comical. By this time Remus and Mary & Taylor had joined them and were looking on with suppressed grins and stifled laughs.  
  
"I'm never letting you talk me into that AGAIN." Diane said staying on the opposite side wall.  
  
"Well I'm never going near you AGAIN. EVER." Sirius said inching toward the portrait on his side of the room.  
  
They both realized they were going for the portrait and started moving back. Then they started moving in the other direction and so on. They got very frustrated with each other and once again they started the name calling game. No one noticed James roll his eyes, take Lily's hand and slip through the portrait with her, unnoticed.  
  
"That was interesting." James said once they were back in the corridor.  
  
"It's Sirius and Diane, what do you expect?" Lily said grinning.  
  
"I think -"James started.  
  
"That Sirius and Diane would make a great couple?" Lily finished for him raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Now you're reading my thoughts." James groaned.  
  
Lily giggled and placed a hand on his arm.  
  
"See you can't get rid of me that quickly. Once I like someone I stick around." She said meeting his gaze.  
  
He grinned and grabbed her around the waist drawing her close. Lily scowled and attempted to wiggle free but James held her grinning slyly. Lily gave up unable to stay mad at him, even if it was James Potter. Once again that wave of panic went through her. "What the heck was she doing?" This was a dangerous game. One that Lily knew she shouldn't be playing.  
  
But it was too tempting and Lily was weak when it came to him. He leaned down toward her catching her lips with his. She struggled for a moment but soon stopped. She wrapped an arm around his neck.  
  
She was going to play the game of love.  
  
"Did I ever tell you you're amazing?" James asked Lily.  
  
"Once I think. But feel free to remind me." Lily said jokingly.  
  
"You're amazing Lily." James said grinning.  
  
"Thanks." Lily said acting as if she got that all the time.  
  
"What about me?" James asked slightly hurt.  
  
Lily pretended to think for a minute.  
  
"You're great too James, but I might need some encouragement on this decision." She said smiling.  
  
James kissed her again.  
  
"How about that?" He asked her a minute or so later.  
  
"Hmmmm. I think I need some more time to think." She said positively beaming.  
  
"You're cruel." He said pouting.  
  
"I know. Now kiss me." Lily said.  
  
He obliged gladly. Lily was certainly impressed. James in her opinion, had gone up several notches from "great".  
  
"Are they ever going to come for air?" Mary wondered aloud.  
  
Mary found Lily and James relationship cute. Secretly she wished she had someone like James. She wanted to have someone to love just like the two of them. But this was getting on her nerves. It was the third time she had walked in on them kissing.  
  
"I'm thinking no." Remus had come in.  
  
"I thought oxygen was necessary to live." She remarked raising an eyebrow at the busy couple.  
  
"I guess love can replace even life's most important things." Remus said dully.  
  
On cue they both turned to each other and made a gagging noise.  
  
"Honestly you'd think they got enough of each other."  
  
"Apparently not." Mary said laughing.  
  
"They're inseparable." Remus said grinning at her.  
  
"Not if I can help it." Mary said smiling slyly.  
  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Remus said taking out his wand.  
  
"More or less." Mary said raising her wand.  
  
Remus did the same.  
  
"One, two, three AQUADIUS!" They both yelled in unison.  
  
Water shot from their wands heading straight for a certain couple.  
  
Hogwarts longest snogging couple was now soaked. Lily and James sprung apart. This just proved that they were indeed separable, sometimes.  
  
Mary keeled over laughing. Remus tried very hard to stifle a laugh nearly breaking a rib.  
  
Lily and James stared wide eyed at each other and then turned toward the laughter. Mary and Remus did their best to look innocent but failed miserably. They still had their wands out and Remus was grinning and Mary was cracking up. Lily glared and James scowled.  
  
"What was that for?" Lily asked angrily.  
  
"Oh I don't know." Mary said rolling her eyes and laughing.  
  
"Maybe because you're AHEM blocking the portrait." Remus said grinning.  
  
"For the last twenty minutes!" Someone complained behind them.  
  
There was a line of students waiting to get out. Sixteen in all, they were all trying to get out of the common room. But someone had been blocking it. Mary and Remus hadn't soaked them for nothing.  
  
Lily and James blushed turning red. They were embarrassed.  
  
"Are you going to move?" An impatient second year asked.  
  
Lily and James hurriedly stepped aside letting the others past.  
  
Lily turned redder than her hair and James was the color of a tomato. Mary and Remus were gloating in their triumph.  
  
"James embarrassed?" Remus whispered.  
  
"Lily, part of the Hogwarts snogging team?" Mary said failing to keep her voice down.  
  
They both pretended to be utterly shocked. Mary mock fainted into Remus arms. She stood up rather quickly.  
  
Lily was getting over her embarrassment quickly.  
  
"Hey look I found my wand." Lily said grinning as she pretended to stare at it.  
  
"Hey look I have a wand too." James said catching on.  
  
Remus and Mary didn't bother to stick around. They knew what happened when Lily and James decided to curse someone, even if it was for fun.  
  
Suddenly an image flashed through James' mind. It was just like the last one that had happened yesterday. Lily was standing in the dungeon her wand out and was slowly advancing toward him.  
  
_"10, 9, 8, 7, 6,"  
  
He wasn't listening to her even though he knew that it was dangerous. He was still talking.  
  
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1"   
_  
"James!"  
  
Lily's voice snapped him out of it.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh I was just wondering if you were still with us, here on earth." Lily said sarcastically.  
  
"I'm still here never fear."  
  
"Oh I thought we had lost you there for a minute."  
  
"Nope. You can't get rid of me yet Lily Evans." He held out his arm and smiled.  
  
She took it a small smile creeping across her face. They headed for the Great Hall.  
  
Lily and James had a good laugh when they got to the Gryffindor table. Diane and Sirius were still fuming. They were sitting at opposite ends of the table on opposite sides. They were having some sort of glaring contest. Diane looked like she was winning. The second years that she was sitting with were rooting her on. Lily and James sat down next to Mary, Remus and Taylor. They were once again taking advantage of "free entertainment" as Sirius put it.  
  
"Popcorn anyone?" Taylor asked.  
  
Grinning she passed a container to Lily and James.  
  
"Hey what about me?" James asked slightly hurt.  
  
Taylor smiled slyly.  
  
"I'm sure you won't have too much of a problem sharing. Mary and Remus told me all about how much you love to share with each other." Taylor said smugly.  
  
Mary and Remus waved and smiled at the now frowning James and Lily.  
  
"You know. I think there's some competition for the top spot." Remus said.  
  
"Yeah I think they might replace Lily and James." Taylor said laughing.  
  
Mary and Remus looked at her as if she was insane.  
  
"Not snogging! I meant when they used to fight you know when Lily and James hated each other." Taylor said completely clueless.  
  
Mary was now biting her lip. Remus was backing away from the table.  
  
James had that peculiar stare on his face again. And Lily was looking very nervous though she was keeping awfully calm.  
  
Once again it was happening.  
  
_He was in the Transfiguration classroom again. Silently fuming he was staring at Lily the girl he loved. Except he wasn't on the lines of anything but hatred for this girl. They were yelling at each other. Lily was turning beat red. She was screaming at him calling him every name she could possibly think of. James was trying his best to come up with a come back. He was just as mad as she was.  
  
Listening to the hateful words they were shouting James figured out that they had detention. But why was this happening? Where was he?_   
  
"James." A soft voice brought him back.  
  
"Sorry Lily, planet nowhere calls again." James said jokingly.  
  
"More like planet Lily." Remus said smirking. Mary elbowed him making him shut up.  
  
Lily looked up at him with true concern in her eyes. She touched his arm gently.  
  
"What's wrong?" James asked drawing her close.  
  
"Nothing." Lily whispered.  
  
"That's the problem." She said.  
  
She pulled herself free from his grasp and hurried from the table. James looked after her bewildered and the others looked equally confused.  
  
"Did I do something wrong?" He asked them.  
  
"No James." Mary said sighing.  
  
Before Mary could continue James left the table, hurrying out of the great hall to go find his love.  
  
"Oh dear." Mary said rubbing her head.  
  
"What?" Remus asked in a low voice.  
  
"I think that the snogging sessions won't be lasting much longer." Mary said quietly.  
  
Remus started to laugh but he saw that she was serious. Mary and Lily knew something that he did not. They knew the truth and this time the truth was not something that was going to set them free.  
  
James ran out of the hall. Her retreating figure was just barely visible. She glanced around and then opened the entrance door, slipping out onto the grounds. James waited a moment and then followed her.  
  
He stepped outside and found that she was no where to be found. But he had a good idea of where she was. He started down toward the lake.  
  
Sure enough he found her there, sitting on the bank, holding her knees to her chest. She looked smaller and more fragile then he had ever seen her before. He had always seen her as someone with a tall wall around her keeping everything out. But now he saw her, just Lily, letting down the guard that kept him out.  
  
"Lily?"  
  
She turned around abruptly but was not shocked to see him. He was surprised to see that her eyes were watery as if she had been crying. Slowly he lowered himself down to sit beside her on the bank.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Yes." She said.  
  
"Actually no. I'm not okay." She said after a momentary pause.  
  
James was now confused. Had he done something wrong?  
  
"No it's not you. Well it is you. But well James there's something I should tell you." Lily said a tear streamed down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away but another formed.  
  
Telling James Potter off had always been easy. She had always hated him. And he had always hated her. Then why now was he looking at her in that way? And why couldn't she turn him down just this once? It was supposed to be simple. It was supposed to prevent her from getting hurt. He was remembering. The spell was coming undone. Soon the old James Potter would be back. Lily didn't want to be caught in his arms the moment he remembered. She wanted to get rid of him now while she still wasn't fully attached. She wanted to do it now before she fell in love. . .  
  
Lily shook her head quickly. James was wiping the tears away from her eyes but Lily pushed him gently away from her. She didn't need this. She was not in love with him. Then why couldn't she do this?  
  
"James I don't think. This, us, it's just not right." Lily whispered. The tears were falling more freely down her cheeks.  
  
James stopped her placing a hand on her cheek. Once again that sudden warmth ran through her and Lily was forced to look into his brown eyes.  
  
"Lily I love you." He whispered.  
  
James Potter had never said that to any other girl. He was not going to let this girl go. He loved her with all his heart and soul. Lily Evans was not going anywhere.  
  
But Lily knew something he didn't. She knew that this was all a lie and the truth had been forgotten.  
  
Unfortunately that didn't stop her from living the lie. However dangerous it was. Love was cruel and dangerous. She had become another player in its game, trapped with no way out. She couldn't let go yet. Because she had come to the realization that she . . .  
  
"I love you James." Lily said in a quiet voice.  
  
They smiled. He wiped away her tears and drew her into a light kiss. They held onto each other. Lily just resting in his soft embrace. She was in love with James Potter. And now she knew that she was in for a heartbreak.  
  
**A/N: Updates coming, so please review! Hopefully this chapter wasn't horrible. cringes**


	10. In This Perfect World

**Author's Note: Oops sorry guys. I had a little bit of trouble with my computer. I happen to have a knack for finding viruses. Currently my computer is a virus breeding ground. Thanks to everyone who reviewed.  
  
Amelia Bedelia:** We are back in La-la land, look at the title of this chapter. There's going to be about 25 chapters I think. I think there's 22 right now, but I broke down a few, and the ones at the end are even longer so somewhere between 25 and 30.  
  
**Lily-Potter8:** My reviews always sound like that, full of questions, ask Amelia. I'm sorry but I can't answer anything yet. But things are going to start happening fast in the next few chapters.  
  
**Claire-125:** You're the only one who mentioned that, I was surprised. My other readers on the previous site were whining for me to hook them up from the third chapter. They had an awful lot of influence on how this story turned out.  
  
**Bow2thehippogriff:** I thought it was sort of original too. That's part of the reason why I kept writing it, because I thought the idea hadn't been done before.  
  
**Black Mistress:** Thanks for the whole scenario thing it was hilarious. It made me laugh!  
  
**Thanks also to NatiFcs28, starborn, groovy geek, J.E.A.R.KPotter, Babyjayy, Agloechen, and The all mighty and PowerfulM.  
  
Sorry for the delayed update. This chapter is not as sad as the previous one. See Chapter Title. The plot of the "finale" of this story makes another appearance. And I think you'll all like the next 2 chapters.  
  
Cursed **

**By HazelMist  
  
Chapter 10: In this Perfect World  
**  
_A beautiful woman was staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a lovely wedding dress and a veil. She slipped the veil over her face to see what it looked like. She laughed nervously and removed it once more. She had dazzling green eyes and her auburn hair was pulled into an elegant knot. Her face was positively glowing with happiness. Now Lily saw who the pretty woman was.  
  
Standing in front of the mirror on her wedding day, no older then twenty, was none other than . . .  
_  
"LILY!"  
  
Lily opened one eye just to be blinded by the sunlight. She raised a hand blocking the sunlight that was streaming from the window into her poor eyes.  
  
"Well it's about time. I was about to get the old ice cold water trick out again." Diane said loudly.  
  
"Why'd you wake me up?" Lily groaned burying her face into the pillow.  
  
"Because the little hand is pointing to nine and the big hand is pointing to twelve." Mary said from somewhere in the room.  
  
"In case you're not intelligent like me and Taylor that would be nine o'clock." Diane informed her.  
  
"Oh no!" Lily cried jumping out of bed. She was late for class!  
  
"Relax Lily it's a Saturday." Taylor said laughing.  
  
A week had passed since the Jenn incident. Lily and James had become once again inseparable. Sirius had even glued them together. But Lily and James didn't even notice they were glued until they decided to go back to their dormitories two hours later. Diane and Sirius weren't on very good terms though. But they did manage to actually sit in the same room for a full five minutes. They were making progress, slowly but surely.  
  
Lily fell back down upon the bed. She didn't care what they said. She was going back to sleep she had had such a good dream.  
  
"Oh no you don't. You are waking up! UP! UP NOW LILLIAN! UP FREAK! UP UP UP UPPITY UP!" Diane began mimicking Lily's older sister Petunia.  
  
Mary and Taylor keeled over laughing and even Lily started giggling from somewhere in the sheets that were covering her head.  
  
"WAKE UPPPP!" Diane cried shrilly.  
  
Lily pushed the pillow off of her face and sat up laughing. Diane could imitate anyone and make anyone laugh. She was now jumping around the room screwing her face up perfectly. She turned and glared at Lily giving her the famous "Petunia" disgusted look.  
  
"It's about time you're up. I was going to have to call out the vocal chords." Diane said using a famous Petunia quote.  
  
"I'm up. Breaking the windows with your voice will not be necessary." Lily quipped as she usually did with Petunia.  
  
Diane grinned. Her eyes were shining. She was in a hyper mood today.  
  
"So Lily what were you dreaming about?" She drawled staring up at Lily with wide dancing eyes.  
  
"Something that was better then you waking me up." Lily said.  
  
"Well we got that right away." Taylor said.  
  
"Sooooo...." Diane pressed onward. She could tell that Lily had had a good dream and if she pushed enough she'd cave and fill them in.  
  
"Or should I say who?" Diane asked grinning.  
  
She nailed it. Lily smiled and blushed.  
  
"James." The others said in unison in sissy voices.  
  
"Oh shut up!" Lily said tossing a pillow at Diane who caught it.  
  
"What were you to doing in this dream?" Diane continued.  
  
"Nothing." Lily turned redder.  
  
"Oh really." Taylor said innocently.  
  
"_Right_." Mary said dragging out the word.  
  
"I can't remember exactly." Lily said honestly. The dream was slipping away. She couldn't remember anything. Except that there was a bride on her wedding day and . . .  
  
That was all she could remember.  
  
"You're no fun." Diane said tossing the pillow back once she realized there was no story.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes and neatly placed the pillow back.  
  
"Guess what?" Sirius asked leaping down the steps and leaping onto the couch.  
  
James and Remus ignored him. They were sick and tired of him pestering them about Diane. It was Diane this or Diane that. He was always one way or another complaining about the poor girl. Of course his best friends saw right through him. It didn't take the Minister of Magic to realize that he obviously had feelings for Diane.  
  
"Now this is the point where you have to say "what"." Sirius informed them.  
  
"What if we don't want to say what." Remus groaned.  
  
"You just did my friend." Sirius said grinning. Remus and James rolled their eyes ready to block their ears as another landslide of "Diane comments" were about to fall upon their ears.  
  
"It's a Hogsmeade weekend."  
  
James unblocked his ears and stared at Sirius as if he had four heads with fangs and antennas. He had just said something other than Diane! Remus didn't notice he still had his ears blocked and was humming to himself to block out the noise.  
  
"Are you okay? Are you sure you don't have a fever or something? You just said something that did not concern in any way "Diane"!" James exclaimed.  
  
Sirius scowled at James and Remus unblocked his ears.  
  
"Sooo it looks like Sirius and Diane finally made up..." James drawled.  
  
"Oh no! That means he'll still be talking about her non stop." Remus said groaning and covering his eyes.  
  
Sirius was not pleased. He frowned at both of them and they quickly shut up hoping he wouldn't take to insulting Diane again.  
  
"We did not make up." Sirius said coldly and clearly.  
  
"I think we understand that. Now tell us who you are going to take to Hogsmeade." James said hurriedly changing the subject.  
  
Sirius looked slightly puzzled as if he hadn't thought of this. James wondered why he had told them then.  
  
"We all know who you're taking." Remus said grinning.  
  
"Wow really? You do catch on rather quickly Remus." James said sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah I betcha ten to one it's a girl with green eyes and red hair." Remus said playing along.  
  
"How'd you know?" James asked dully.  
  
"Lucky guess?"  
  
"Soooo who are you taking Remus?" James said turning the tables.  
  
"Mary." Remus said smiling.  
  
James nearly choked. He hadn't expected Remus to be so confident about it.  
  
"So what are you guys going to be doing there hanging out at Lovers Lane with Lily and James in a tree?" Sirius asked.  
  
"No." Remus retorted.  
  
"We figured we'd make fun of your date and Lily and James' date." Remus said grinning.  
  
"You know how you guys snog all day long. So we figured we'd hang around since we're both enduring the same pain." Remus said.  
  
James turned red and Sirius beamed his "ladies" smile.  
  
"Well you know the girls just can't resist me." Sirius said importantly taking out the charm.  
  
"I for one can. I repel you. You disgust me." Diane said coming up behind them.  
  
"So you're talking to me now."  
  
"No."  
  
"You just did."  
  
"Did not."  
  
"You can't deny it. You were speaking to me."  
  
"Insults don't count."  
  
"Well then let me have my say. You're annoying me. And I think you're . . ."  
  
"Save it." Diane said putting up her hand. She didn't want to hear what he had to say.  
  
"Fine then, don't speak to me then."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine." Remus added in as a final note.  
  
Diane and Sirius looked at him in a puzzled manner. Remus just shrugged and smiled.  
  
"Well then let's go to breakfast." Lily said breaking the uncanny silence. She smiled at James and gave him a peck on the cheek. Then she took his arm and they exited laughing and whispering.  
  
There was a silent shuffle as Diane and Sirius both tried to go after them and ended up smacking into each other. Taylor ended up going ahead of them as the two began another silent "miming" argument. They refused to open their mouths. Remus and Mary turned to each other not sure whether this was a "plus" or a "negative".  
  
"Care to join me. Since it doesn't look like there going anywhere within the next century." Remus said offering his arm to her.  
  
"Why not." Mary said beaming.  
  
They walked arm and arm past Diane and Sirius and out the portrait.  
  
"So care to join me. Yeah right. I see exactly where that's heading. Next we're going to bump into them in a closet." Diane said aloud once they were out of ear shot.  
  
"Yeah marriage proposals and then they'll be competing for Hogwarts Favorite Couple with Lily and James. Or should I call it Hogwarts Most Walked in On Couple." Sirius said laughing.  
  
Diane met Sirius eyes momentarily and smiled. But it was only briefly then they remembered they were fighting and Diane brushed past Sirius exiting.  
  
They were stubborn. But stubbornness might not be enough to fight that feeling any longer.  
  
"Hey it's a Hogsmeade weekend." Taylor said as they were sitting at the Gryffindor table.  
  
"Don't remind me." Diane groaned.  
  
"So Lily's going with James. I'm going with Remus and who are you two going with?" Mary asked Taylor and Diane.  
  
"I wasn't aware that we had to have dates to go to Hogsmeade." Diane growled.  
  
"Well now you know." Lily informed her. Diane glared at them both.  
  
"Come on Diane. Have some fun. We're seventeen and it's going to be a great night. Just ask some random guy" Taylor coughed loudly at this point. Diane didn't hear what she said (she probably ignored what she said) but Mary and Lily clearly heard "Sirius" and smiled. They had been thinking the exact same thing. "to go with you to Hogsmeade. It's not a date. It's just a date I mean just a well friend thing." Mary continued stumbling over her last words. She was thankful that Remus was at the other end of the table with James, Peter and Sirius (who refused to sit near a certain someone).  
  
It was Diane's turn to grin. The conversation with Sirius rang in her ears. But in the end it became to painful to think of Sirius and she gave up any thought of a sarcastic comment. Lily didn't though.  
  
"So it's a date but it's not a date." Lily said raising her eyebrow.  
  
"You're confusing me Mary. Rephrase that again, slower this time." Lily said to her leaning forward to listen.  
  
"We are only going as friends." Mary said blushing.  
  
"I didn't ask that." Lily said grinning. Mary's blush deepened.  
  
"Hey Taylor can I talk to you for a minute?" A good looking Ravenclaw had come up unnoticed. Taylor smiled and followed him out of the Great Hall.  
  
"So looks like you're the only one going stag Diane." Lily drawled.  
  
"We're only friends." Mary muttered.  
  
"No. I'm going with him." Diane twisted around in her seat and faced the Hufflepuff table.  
  
She picked out one of the seventh years, not the brightest one, but none the less the Hufflepuff seeker and very good looking.  
  
"Hey Amos!" She called flashing a flirtatious smile and eyeing him.  
  
"Want to go to Hogsmeade with me." Diane asked in a sweet tone that caused guys to melt.  
  
"Sure." Amos said grinning.  
  
"Okay meet me at the carriages." Diane said smiling sweetly.  
  
Diane turned around in her seat smirking. She shot a glance down toward the Marauders that Lily knew was for Sirius. Sirius was frowning and shooting death glares her way. Diane looked very satisfied with herself as she ran a hand through her blond curls turning back to the girls.  
  
"Alright I'll play by the rules. I have a date now. Are you happy?" Diane said taking a piece of toast.  
  
"No." Mary grumbled.  
  
"What more do you want from me?" Diane said scowling.  
  
Mary muttered something incoherent that sounded like "go with Sirius". But Diane ignored her and smiled as Taylor came skipping back to the Gryffindor table positively beaming.  
  
"Who kissed you?" Diane asked her bluntly.  
  
"No one. Jeff Prewett just asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him." Taylor said blushing. She turned in her seat and waved batting her eye lashes at a handsome boy sitting over at the Ravenclaw table. The smile and wave was returned by him in the same manner.  
  
"Not you too." Mary groaned.  
  
"What do you mean?" Taylor asked.  
  
"You're obviously in love with him. Just like Lily's in love with James and Diane's in love with S" Diane "accidentally" spilt her pumpkin juice all over Mary at this point.  
  
"Diiiiaaannnneee." Mary groaned.  
  
"Sorry it just slipped." Diane said performing the cleaning spell.  
  
"What were you saying?" Diane asked waving the butter threateningly as if she might spill that too; if a certain name came up in the conversation again.  
  
"Nothing." Mary mumbled defeated.  
  
"Then let's go see how Jenn's doing." Lily said getting up from the table.  
  
They arrived in the hospital wing a little while later. Madam Pomfrey didn't look very happy about letting the four girls in but she obliged reluctantly. Lily immediately headed for Jenn's bed while the others hung back still unsure of what they would find.  
  
"There's some people here to see you." Madam Pomfrey said in a sympathetic voice to Jenn. There was a shuffling noise as Jenn sat up and Lily came face to face with the girl that had tried to kill her.  
  
"Hi Jenn."  
  
"Hello Lily."  
  
The conversation was rather awkward. The silence soon filled in the spaces and Lily found herself wishing she could speak of the incident. Finally she couldn't take it anymore but it was Jenn who shattered the silence.  
  
"I'm sorry Lily." Jenn blurted out.  
  
"It wasn't your fault!" Lily said seeing that the girl was close to tears.  
  
"Yes it was! I almost killed you Lily. I almost took the life of someone! Don't you see that I almost killed you without a second thought! How can you even speak to me now?" Jenn exclaimed the tears forming in her eyes.  
  
Lily sat down on the edge of her bed. She looked into Jenn's teary eyes and said quietly  
  
"I know Jenn. But you were under the Imperius. You fought it longer then even I could've. It's not your fault. You couldn't control yourself."  
  
"But Lily I should have fought him! He was so much weaker then me. But I never thought, never in all my years that it would be him that would turn against us. I thought he was under the imperius too. But he wasn't Lily. Oh Lily, P" She started to cough violently at this point, hiccoughing and sobbing and coughing she couldn't continue.  
  
"He turned against us, P" She started coughing again and Lily insisted on her lying down as this was taking too much out of her.  
  
"It's okay. I understand. I forgive you." Lily whispered. But she was more confused than she made out to be.  
  
"But I have to tell you that P" She started hiccoughing again.  
  
Madam Pomfrey came hurrying into the room. Lily was told to leave immediately. Diane and the others were disappointed that they hadn't been able to see her.  
  
"Hey did anyone else see that Jenn was acting weird?" Mary asked breaking the silence as they headed back for the common room.  
  
"Who didn't." Diane muttered.  
  
"Yeah I think she was trying to tell us something." Taylor said looking bewildered.  
  
"Yes she was." Lily said quietly.  
  
The conversation was brought no further. The girls were left to their own thoughts as they entered into the common room just to be greeted by the Boys. They were unaware how important this last conversation with Jenn was. If only things had been different... then perhaps life could go on as it should've in a perfect world.

**A/N**: Next up the Hogsmeade trip! More fluff I promise! I'll be updating within the week!


	11. Hogsmeade

**Author's Note: One week later... Sorry I meant to get this out during the weekend but again a few unexpected things came up. When I originally wrote this story the chapters weren't organized very well, so I'm sorry if they start in funny places, like in the middle of a conversation. I tried to make them all the same length. Thank you to all my reviewers! I'm feeling bad because of the delay so I'll reply to each of you.**  
  
**Amelia Bedelia: **Shoot, I'm very glad you picked up on that. It was in fact a mistake. But when I originally wrote this story, about a year ago that was not a mistake. I must've forgotten to change it. I'm not saying anything else. Thank you for picking that up for me!  
  
**The all mighty and powerfulM:** Yes, something like that is going to happen.  
  
**J.E.A.R.KPotter:** Thanks Erin, don't worry the next two chapters are almost entirely fluff.  
  
**Black Mistress:** I loved it! Especially Remus comment, but he's the person we least expect to turn against us. And then Ron's comment about the future and amen. And then Engel and Harry. You're not alone! Thanks for the laugh!  
  
**Agloechen:** I think I might go kill the rat, but that would defeat the purpose of the plot.  
  
**Granger-gurl-rox:** Thank you I love Sirius and Diane too. Next chapter or the one coming after that is the best scene. I'm extremely proud of it.  
  
**LCH8292:** Yep, unexpected.  
  
**Animalluvr75:** Thank you for the compliment! You'll just have to wait and see.  
  
**KristiexxNguyen:** Thank you for adding me. I'm glad you like the story!  
  
**Natali:** Thank you Natali, I appreciate the review! I hope you like the chapter.  
  
**Cursed **

**By HazelMist  
  
Chapter 11: Hogsmeade  
**  
"Ready to go?" Mary asked the others.  
  
"Yeah. As soon as Lily finishes day dreaming about James I think we can go." Diane said grinning at her love struck friend. Lily was now scowling and trying to find and object to lob at Diane.  
  
The hours had passed quickly. The day had sped by and now evening was approaching. Lily and the girls were already to meet the guys down at the entrance doors.  
  
"I can not wait to see him." Taylor gushed. She had been talking non stop about her Ravenclaw date.  
  
"I can not wait for you to stop talking about him." Mary said in the same tone.  
  
Taylor blushed looking very embarrassed.  
  
"You're just jealous." Taylor quipped.  
  
"Am not."  
  
"Are too."  
  
"I would never dream of dating that Ravenclaw of yours." Mary said truthfully.  
  
"But you would dream of dating Remus." Taylor dove out of the way as it was Mary's turn to throw an object Taylor's way.  
  
"Come on you guys. Let's go. I have to meet Amos. And I'm sure that you three are dying to meet your dates." Diane drawled.  
  
Mary hit her. The others just grinned.

"Why hello beautiful." James said taking Lily by the arm.  
  
"Hello handsome." She said sweetly.  
  
The two shared a short kiss that caused their fellow Gryffindors to start gagging again.  
  
"Shut it." James growled. He turned back to Lily smiling.  
  
"Diane you're looking wonderful tonight." Amos came up from behind them.  
  
"Thank you Amos. You're not too bad looking yourself." Diane said returning Amos' smile and winking.  
  
Sirius' face notably darkened and he seemed to have trouble smiling. But just then a pretty Hufflepuff came striding toward him throwing back a sheet of strawberry blond hair.  
  
"Hello doll face. So glad you could join me." Sirius said helping her into the carriage.  
  
"The pleasure's all mine." She said seductively sitting awfully close to him.  
  
Diane dragged Amos off to the next carriage and Remus and Mary followed. Lily and James clambered in with Sirius and his Hufflepuff bimbo. Taylor had disappeared somewhere unnoticed.  
  
It was an interesting ride. With Diane craning her head out the window every so often, trying to catch a glimpse of Sirius. And Sirius' eyes never leaving the window where the other couples were enclosed. They soon arrived and all emptied out of the carriages.  
  
Jeff swept Taylor off to meet his Ravenclaw friends. For once a boy was actually taking notice of the poor girl that had been over shadowed by Jenn all her life. Diane dragged Amos over to his friends and said rather forcefully "introduce me". Amos was beginning to catch on that Diane was in control at all times. Sirius was practically ignoring his date as he craned his head over the crowd searching for Diane.  
  
"They'll be together by the end of the night." Mary said dully.  
  
"They'll be together by tomorrow." Remus said grinning.  
  
"They'll be together in two hours!" Mary said defiantly.  
  
"I bet you five galleons that it's not until tomorrow." Remus said grinning and holding out his hand.  
  
"You're on." Mary said taking it and giving it a shake.  
  
"Gambling without us. Shame on you." James said butting in and causing Mary and Remus to let go of their hands very quickly.  
  
"I say in the next half-hour." James said peering at Sirius who was frowning in Diane's direction.  
  
"Fine. Any takes Lily?" Remus asked her.  
  
"They'll be together before midnight." Lily said confidently.  
  
"Then it's a bet." Mary said.  
  
They shook on it.  
  
"No interference!" Remus said after a pause.  
  
"No fair!" James and Mary protested in unison.  
  
Lily and Remus laughed and high-fived.  
  
"We are soooo going to win." Lily said to Remus.  
  
"Not if I can help it." James said taking Lily's hand.  
  
"Cheater!"  
  
"No interfering with the other betters!"  
  
"Then I guess Lily and James are going to have a slight problem." Mary drawled.  
  
Everyone laughed.Diane pushed back her blond curls. She was getting sick of the flirting scene. Her eyes kept wandering down to a certain dark haired Gryffindor who was seated at the opposite end of the bar. She was slightly disappointed that he wasn't looking her way. He seemed distracted by the Hufflepuff slut that was with him.  
  
"Slut." Diane spat as she watched the girl lean over in front of Sirius. The girl made her low cut robe look even more revealing as she moved closer to him. But what disgusted Diane even more was the fact that Sirius was interested and enjoying it.  
  
Diane quickly turned away. Why was she even looking his way in the first place? He's a mindless jerk, she told herself. She shuddered as she heard the girl from all the way across the room sweet talking and flirting shamelessly with him. Couldn't they keep it down and stop broadcasting it to the entire room!?  
  
"I think I'm going to be sick." Diane muttered staring into a butter beer.  
  
"Are you alright Diane?" Amos asked putting an arm gently on her shoulder.  
  
Diane lifted her head unaware that Sirius Black was watching her. Amos had always been kind to her and he was good looking too. She decided just to enjoy the date.  
  
"Yeah don't worry about me." She said smiling.  
  
She kissed him lightly on the cheek much to the horror of her fellow Gryffindor. She grinned and Amos seemed pleased. He slid her arm all the way around her shoulder. And this time Diane did not object."That little -" Sirius swore under his breath.  
  
His date who was still trying to get his attention looked up startled.  
  
"What's wrong puppy dog." She asked touching his cheek gently.  
  
"Nothing Doll face. Nothing can go wrong when I'm here with you." Sirius said kissing her hand and staring into her eyes.  
  
The girl swooned, but she didn't seem to notice that his eyes were actually staring right over her head where they met with another pair of eyes. Diane quickly turned around.  
  
"Two can play this game." Diane murmured softly.  
  
She leaned her head on Amos' shoulder. Amos smiled down at her. But even he was starting to catch on that this might not be everything it seemed. He knew just like all the others that Sirius Black wanted to punch his lights out at that very moment. But it didn't seem like they would get over their stubbornness very soon. Amos sighed and Diane asked him quickly what was wrong in a comforting voice.  
  
The music began as if on cue. It filled the room with the beats of a fast song in full swing. It was a well-known favorite of teenage wizard and witches of the day  
  
"Nothing. Want to dance?" Amos asked her.  
  
"I was hoping you'd ask." Diane said sliding off the stool and taking his hand.  
  
They made their way over to the dance floor. A few other couples had started to dance. But the evening and music was only just beginning.  
  
Sirius' face darkened. He had turned around in his seat to get a better view of Amos and Diane who were now laughing as they danced to a fast song. But he couldn't get a close enough view of them. His date was whining for attention.  
  
"Siiiiirrriiiuuussss. Puppy dog?"  
  
"Yep." Sirius said not even listening as he craned his head trying to see past a couple blocking his view.  
  
"Why won't you ask me to dance?" She whined pathetically flipping back her strawberry blonde hair.  
  
"Uh huh." Sirius said pretending to listen. Suddenly he grabbed his date and pulled her over to another table closer to the dance floor, with a perfect view.  
  
"Yeah I like the color of this table better too. The place settings have little designs on them. The others were just plain white." His date gushed. She really was a complete idiot.  
  
"Darn." Sirius groaned. Another couple had sat down blocking his view of the dance floor once more.  
  
"What you liked the white ones better? We can go back to that table if you want- Hey where are you going puppy dog?"  
  
Sirius had gotten up and was wandering aimlessly toward the dance floor. His date was getting irritated by this point. She didn't know why he was acting so strangely. Even a retard like her seemed to have noticed the little things. Though she still didn't seem to get the picture that there was a big flashing sign saying "I'M NOT INTERESTED" on Sirius' forehead. She drummed her fingers impatiently on the table and looked around the room for some single guy as a back up. There wasn't much to choose from. She'd just have to snag one later.  
  
"Aren't you forgetting something?" She said loudly.  
  
Sirius stopped and realized that he was missing something. But what...? His Date!  
  
"Hey care to dance with me?" Sirius asked her mentally kicking himself.  
  
"I'd love too." She said, her confidence in Sirius was renewed as she marched up to him.  
  
She immediately threw herself on him wrapping her arms around his neck and dancing extremely close to him. She rested her head on his shoulder. Ironically a slow dance had begun and Sirius could see Diane and Amos out of the corner of his eye. They were looking kind of awkward. But Diane got over this quickly and put her arms around his neck. They were laughing about something as Amos slipped his hands around her small waist. Sirius envied Amos. Why couldn't he be there holding Diane in his arms? Why couldn't he be the one with his hands around her waist and her arms around his neck? He wanted to look into her blue gray eyes and just float away.

_Whoa! Earth to Sirius! You did not just think about that!_   
  
"You DID NOT just think about that!" Sirius said aloud.  
  
A lot of people sent strange looks their way. But Sirius didn't seem to notice. His date did though.  
  
"Maybe it's my perfume?" She was thinking to herself.  
  
"Or maybe it's the shoes. I knew I shouldn't have worn the Witchly brand. They just overdo the color of my eyes." She muttered under her breath.  
  
Sirius luckily didn't notice. He was too busy trying to get those awful thoughts out of his head.  
  
Diane noticed the odd couple. With Sirius and his date both talking to themselves, they sure were one of a kind. Diane giggled. Sirius was insane.  
  
"Hey what are you laughing about?" Amos teased.  
  
"Nothing." Diane said but she couldn't stop herself. Every time she caught a glimpse of the couple she would start to giggle again. Amos didn't take this offensively. He realized what was happening. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that her eyes were practically glued to Sirius. He even smiled.  
  
Those two had it bad for each other.

Meanwhile...  
  
"It's almost been a half hour! Come on! I want to see James lose a bet!" Remus dragged Mary out of the book shop and hurriedly started pulling her toward the Three Broomsticks.  
  
"Relax Remus we all know he's going to lose." Mary said trying to keep up with him.  
  
"But James hasn't lost a bet in ... who knows how long. I can't wait to see his face!" Remus was basking in the glory that James was about to lose five galleons. He was grinning like a maniac as he pulled Mary into the pub.  
  
"James is going down. James is going down." It didn't take them very long to find Lily and James. They just followed the sound of Lily's voice which carried over all the others.  
  
"Five galleons to me! Not you! Me! What's wrong James can't take the fact that you just lost a bet? Well you did. To your own girlfriend!" Lily was snickering loudly still teasing him when they arrived to find a sulky James.  
  
"He he he! I won! James Lost! I won! I get five galleons! I won! James Lost! James lost a bet!"  
  
"Lily we get the picture." Mary said shutting her up.  
  
"He's being such a poor sport." Lily said with a sigh.  
  
Mary snorted loudly and Remus raised an eyebrow grinning at Lily and James. Lily was the one gloating in the triumph and she was calling James a poor sport? Some people just don't learn.  
  
"So where are Diane and Sirius anyway?" Mary asked peering over the heads of the crowd.  
  
"We'll go check." Lily said smiling broadly. She winked at James and taking him by the arm dragged him off to the dance floor.  
  
"What was that for?" James asked.  
  
"Just dance Mary and Remus will follow our lead." Lily said between gritted teeth.  
  
"I see." James said grinning.  
  
"Hey wait I thought we couldn't interfere with the other betters?" James said smiling wryly.  
  
"We're not, technically. We're just influencing them, greatly. And besides you don't have any objection to me interfering with you." Lily said beaming up at him.  
  
"Of course not." He slipped his arms around her and pulled her closer.Remus and Mary were sitting awkwardly at a table. They couldn't see anything past the heads of the crowd and it didn't look like Lily and James had any intention of returning.  
  
"They probably found a closet." Mary said.  
  
"I wouldn't doubt it. Though I think bathrooms, alleys and cup boards can't be ruled out of the question." Remus said causing Mary to look at him strangely.  
  
"What?"  
  
"A cup board." Mary asked snorting.  
  
"So? People can fit in those." Remus said turning slightly red.  
  
"And you would know this because." Mary said raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Let's go to the dance floor where we can have a better look." Remus said hastily changing the subject.  
  
Mary smiled and they both got up from the table and threaded their way through the crowd. But it was useless. By this point nearly every couple from Hogwarts was on the dance floor. No Diane, Sirius, Lily or James to be found. They did spot Taylor dancing not too far in front of them.  
  
"What are they giving stuff away? I've never seen this many people in here." Remus said staring at the large crowd.  
  
"I guess we'll just have to go in there and look for them." Mary said knowing what that would mean.  
  
"Uh, so we'll just dance right over there?" Remus said looking slightly nervous.  
  
"I guess so. It's a fast song. Just follow me." Mary started forward but as soon as her foot touched the floor a slow song started as if on cue.  
  
"Oh great." Mary groaned.  
  
"Um this could be a problem." Remus said looking uncomfortable as everyone paired up.  
  
"Yeah." Mary said hesitating. She glanced up at Remus and quickly looked away. Remus stole a glance at her but Mary was staring out into the crowd with a lost look on her face.  
  
"Soooo"  
  
"Yeah um."  
  
"We should really..."  
  
"Come on let's go." Mary said finally.  
  
She grabbed Remus by the arm and dragged him out onto the dance floor. She turned and faced him and put her arms casually around his neck. Just as casual, Remus slipped his arms around her waist and they started to slow dance moving step by step through the couples.  
  
"Do you see them?" Mary asked quietly. She wouldn't look him in the eye and was busily looking over his shoulder.  
  
"No. Do you?" Remus asked. His eyes strayed from the swaying couples and came back to face his dance partner.  
  
"No. I can't see anything." She gently moved him to the right so that they were facing in another direction and had a new view.  
  
Remus couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Mary had always been just another Gryffindor. She had always been just another friend. There had been nothing else between them. But now suddenly as he looked at her, he saw her in a brand new light. For the first time he noticed the dark brown hair that reached just past her shoulders and was usually pulled away from her face. But now it was down and a strand fell close to her dark eyes. Her eyes were now looking into his. She smiled nervously and a slight tinge surfaced in her cheeks.  
  
"What's so funny?" She asked laughing nervously.  
  
"Nothing." Remus said quickly.  
  
"Then why are you smiling like that?" Mary asked him.  
  
"Nothing. It's ... nothing." Remus shook his head and they lapsed into silence.  
  
Mary was afraid to look into his eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was feeling just tad uncomfortable dancing in the arms of her friend. She had never felt this way before. Why did she feel so strange now? Honestly this was Remus Lupin, then why did she feel so weird, almost scared? She was nearly trembling in his arms but yet she felt so relaxed, almost too relaxed.  
  
Another slow song began and this time Remus and Mary didn't groan or break apart. Instead they got closer to each other, unknowingly. They had no idea that they were falling. But no one realizes it until they've already toppled over the edge, head over heels for that special someone.  
  
**A/N: More Hogsmeade, more fluff coming up in the next chapter. I'm hoping to have about 3 more chapters out before the end of this month, but I might condense them all into one. I'm not sure yet, so expect a long chapter or one this length out this week. **


	12. Falling In Love is Never Easy

**Author's Note:** Awww thanks for the reviews. I was touched that you guys all replied so quickly. I leave in a week so I'm going to try to at least get two maybe three more out. **Thank you The all mighty and powerfulM, Granger- gurl-rox, girlyrockstar, katnap713, Some12, Amelia Bedelia, ckrfan, J.E.A.R.K.Potter and KristiexxNguyen.** You made my day! I don't have time to write out personal replies. I'm going to work on organizing the next two chapters.  
  
Oh yeah about the whole Mary falling in love with Remus and Diane falling in love with Sirius, I'm sorry it's so cliché. I wrote this a while ago and I grew to love the characters. I'm not changing it.  
  
**Cursed **

**By HazelMist  
  
Chapter 12: Falling in Love is Never Easy**  
  
"Will you look at that?" Diane asked mildly.  
  
"What?" Amos asked glancing around.  
  
To his surprise she wasn't watching Sirius, but another couple that he hadn't expected to find on the dance floor together. The sarcastic Mary and the Marauder Remus were dancing close to each other.  
  
"So it looks like your friends have fallen in love. Just like Hogwarts favorite couple." Amos said grinning.  
  
"Yes it looks that way." Diane said.  
  
To his surprise her grin faded and she glanced down at their feet. Sadness had passed like a shadow across those blue gray eyes of hers. He knew the cause of it.  
  
"It's him isn't it?" Amos said knowing the answer.  
  
"If only falling in love could be that easy." Diane said avoiding the question. But in a way she had already answered it.  
  
Amos pulled her into a friendly embrace. The poor girl just didn't realize that she only needed to say the word and Sirius would come running. Why couldn't she see what he and everyone else saw? Sirius and her could be Lily and James. If only they would get rid of their darn stubbornness and make up and kiss already.  
  
"Diane why don't you just talk to him?" Amos asked.  
  
"I can't. We're just too different. We're friends, he doesn't feel that way about me. And I don't even think I feel that way about him." Diane said quietly.  
  
"Diane I'm not one to know about these things. But I know you should at least talk to him and be friends again." Amos said quietly.  
  
"I know." Diane whispered. She looked over his shoulder into Sirius Black's eyes. For a moment the gaze held and Diane felt her heart skip a beat. But just as quickly they looked away.  
  
Not now, she would talk to him later, later she would talk to him. With this thought she felt a little satisfied and took up another dance with Amos.  
  
"They are so stubborn!" Lily cried stamping her foot.  
  
She was sitting at the table with James. And she was not very happy.  
  
"Sirius and Diane, I know. They lost me five galleons!" James cried out still outraged that he had lost the bet.  
  
"Honestly is that all you ever think about bets? I was talking about Mary and Remus silly. I just wish I could knock some sense into those two." Lily said though she wished she could give Sirius and Diane a good kick also.  
  
"What are we waiting for?" James asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What are we waiting for? Let's go play matchmaker." James said reaching for her hand.  
  
"Alright, but only Mary and Remus. Not Sirius and Diane. Got that?" Lily said raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Alright I'll make sure that Mary doesn't win. We don't want the poor sport whining about losing five galleons."  
  
Lily playfully hit him.  
  
"You were the one who was whining." She insisted.  
  
"Well you were the one who was gloating." James protested.  
  
"Well I wouldn't have been gloating if you hadn't been so sulky about losing."  
  
"I was not sulky!"  
  
"You were too!"  
  
"Was Not!"  
  
"Was too!"  
  
The scene seemed to swim before him. What had started out as a little innocent teasing had brought back memories. He was remembering something that he couldn't ever remember taking place.  
  
_"I can't believe I have detention with you!"  
  
"Well it's your fault that we have it together!"  
  
"No it's yours!"  
  
"No it's your fault!"  
  
Their voices were rising steadily.  
  
"No!"  
  
"It's YOUR FAULT!"  
  
"Uh uh!"  
  
"Yeah Huh!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"It's Your Fault."  
  
"Yes, I mean no, it's yours."  
  
"You're the one that put the snakes in my bed! So it's your fault!"  
  
"But then you tied me to the ceiling! So I couldn't do my homework so it's your fault!"  
  
"I think it's both of your faults. Now will you both just calm down for a moment. For goodness sake, you two are making a racket." The Professor said glaring at them with her all too famous glare. She was losing patience fast with these two.  
  
"He needs to calm down."  
  
"No she does Professor."  
  
"He is making the racket."  
  
"No she is."  
  
"Be quiet or you get three more detentions."  
  
"He is."  
  
"Together."  
  
James and Lily both looked like they were about to continue but they both shut up immediately when they heard the word together. There was no way they would be spending another moment with each other if they didn't have to._  
  
James thought that he was hallucinating. But why then did this seem so familiar. Before he could ponder the memory continued and the scene had abruptly switched.  
  
_"Transfiguring fifty chairs! You call that FUN! Thanks a whole lot James. Thanks a whole LOT!" Lily's yell was the first to break out from the silence.  
  
"Well I don't find it any more enjoyable then you. Though I actually pay attention in Transfiguration and get the grades!"  
  
"You're gloating as usual! Is that all you ever do, gloat!" She snarled.  
  
"And yet everyone falls for your stupid old charm which is really just a veil over the real you. The one that is good for nothing!" She continued furious.  
  
"Well at least I don't" James attempted to cut in but Lily went on ranting.  
  
"I actually work for my grades! Unlike you. Who goes gallivanting off in the middle of the night and sets pranks all over the school! Then all those silly girls do your homework for you! You don't do anything. You're just a good for nothing jerk!" Lily screamed. Her words echoed through out the room bouncing off the walls and floor and ceiling. James just stood there his mouth agape.  
  
Lily threw back her hair and spun on heel. But then she realized that she was stuck in detention thanks to him. So she stormed back over across the room and sat down in one of the chairs they were supposed to be transfiguring. She realized it was facing him so she got up and turned the chair so that her back was to him when she sat down once again.  
  
James decided to keep his mouth shut. He was surprised that Lily had actually shut up. And for once he didn't put in his two cents but favored the deadly silence that had resumed in the room. Perhaps it was better this way he thought. Come to think of it he and Lily rarely tried ignoring each other. They always had something to say to each other. (even if it was ALWAYS bad)  
  
"Fine." Muttered James. He grabbed a chair on the opposite side of the room and turned it around so that he was facing the corner and had his back to her. He didn't want to have to look at her awful face. He crossed his arms over his chest and resumed his sulking in silence.  
  
"Fine."_  
  
**"James?"**  
  
_James couldn't believe this. When had this happened? When had Lily Evans been this mad at him and when had he ever been this mad at her? When had this happened and why?_

**"James?"  
**  
_James didn't think he'd ever be able to forget the way Lily had stood up and yelled at him like that. Emotionless in every way her temper had boiled over just like in all those other visions he had had. Why was this happening to him?_   
  
**"JAMES!"**  
  
"Lily?"  
  
"Yes James it's me." Her voice was awfully quiet.  
  
"Just shut up for a second Evans!"  
  
For a moment James just ignored her letting everything sink into his head. What was he doing sitting next to Lily Evans? But the question soon ran out of his head as he saw those worried green eyes snag his own brown eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry Lily." He said cupping her face with his hands.  
  
"Don't be James." Lily's voice was filled with sadness.  
  
It was just like the last time he had had a vision and she had called him back to earth once more. She had had that look of pain in her eyes as if she was suffering some type of death.  
  
"Lily, tell me what's going on." James whispered locking his eyes with hers and clasping her hand firmly.  
  
"I can't. You'll know soon enough." Her voice was breaking. James couldn't help but wonder if Lily knew what he had seen. How much did she know? She seemed to know more about these things then he did.  
  
"Lily it's alright. I'm here. We're here together and that's all that matters."  
  
"I know." She said smiling weakly. They embraced and Lily sighed softly.  
  
"But not for long." She whispered.  
  
"Come my love let us dance together." James said bowing jokingly and offering his arm.  
  
Once again Lily fell hard for the charm. She laughed and took his offered arm.  
  
"My pleasure." She said smiling. And they danced out onto the floor.  
  
A fast song had come and Mary and Remus hadn't even noticed it had begun until another couple smacked into them. Remus and Mary were shoved a good few feet over by a crazy blond who was dancing wildly. On second glance they recognized it as Sirius current bimbo.  
  
Laughing they stepped away from each other and started dancing to the fast song. Relief washed over Mary at least she had breathing room now. But still she once again found herself wishing she was in those arms staring into those eyes. What is wrong with you Mary? She scolded herself telling herself never to have those types of thoughts about Remus ever again.  
  
It worked for a little while. Time flew and it seemed that two songs was not enough. The third came all too soon and yes it was a slow song. Lily and James were dancing nearby and Mary looked longingly their way as she started off the floor.  
  
"Wait." Remus said quietly.  
  
"Yes?" Mary asked hopefully.  
  
"Come my love let us dance together." Remus mimicked James. Mary laughed and once again put her arms hesitantly around his neck.  
  
"So you've decided to join me?" Remus said putting his arms around her waist.  
  
"How could I resist such charm?" Mary joked.  
  
"What would I do without you Mary?" Remus said sighing.  
  
"Excuse me." Mary said wondering what he was on.  
  
"If it weren't for you I'd be stuck with A. Lily and James and we all know how they can't get enough of each other."  
  
Mary grinned.  
  
"Or B. I'd be stuck between Sirius and Diane always trying to steal glances at each other and then insulting the other."  
  
She was laughing now.  
  
"Or C. now I like this option I would've been stuck with Sirius' bimbo once the two of them finally noticed each other."  
  
"You're too funny Remus." Mary said.  
  
"I personally think I'm much worse then any of them." Mary remarked.  
  
"Oh no. Believe me you saved me tonight."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really."  
  
"I guess I could say that you saved me too. This has been a lot more fun then any date." Mary said honestly.  
  
"Yeah same here." Remus said.  
  
Remus drew her closer and winked. Mary caught her breath but saw that he was talking about Diane and Sirius who were looking in their direction with interest.  
  
"Play along with me." Mary mouthed.  
  
Mary did something unexpected. First she kissed him on the cheek very lightly. Remus felt his face burn with the sudden warmth. But she didn't stop there. She drew him closer to her and then just when they were inches apart she lay her head down on his shoulder right near his chest. He stroked her hair gently and held her close to him. She did the same nearly clinging to him. It was all supposed to be an act but could some of it have been the truth?  
  
"They need some serious help." Lily muttered.  
  
"Well then what are we waiting for." James said.  
  
Lily grinned and they danced across the floor energetically until they were within inches of the couple.  
  
"Kiss her." James said in Remus' ear.  
  
"What James?" Remus asked still slightly dazed that Mary had her head on her shoulder and had kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Kiss her already!" James exclaimed.  
  
Remus turned a shade of red and managed to step on James' foot as they danced past him. Lily though wasn't finished with her part. Just as it looked like Remus was finally free of the annoying couple, Lily came swinging back just as Mary looked up. Lily backed into Mary bumping her so that she and Remus' faces were within inches of each other. They were so close that they could feel each other's soft breath on the face.  
  
Without thinking Mary closed her eyes and leaned forward. Remus did the same and then finally it happened. Their lips met in a soft kiss.  
  
The kiss deepened and still they clung to each other as if this was the last thing on earth. What had been friendship only moments before had turned into something more. Sirius stared wide eyed at the couple that now had the spotlight. Diane's jaw dropped but then smirking she found Lily and James standing innocently in the corner grinning angelically. Diane caught her eye and shook her head silently laughing. Lily shrugged and winked.  
  
"I can't believe them." Diane murmured.  
  
"Who? Mary and Remus?" Amos asked.  
  
"No Lily and James. They set them up." Then Diane smiled wistfully.  
  
Mary was the first to pull back. For a moment she looked simply dazed but then after she realized what had just happened she became alarmed. Remus too looked very shocked at his sudden bravery. He had just kissed his friend. How did he get the guts to do that?  
  
"Sorry about that." Remus muttered.  
  
"Yeah I'm sorry too." Mary said.  
  
"Something just came over me." Remus said sinking lower by the minute.  
  
"Yeah same here." Mary said hesitating. But still they danced and still they stared into each others eyes memorizing every feature.  
  
"Listen if we could just forget I didn't know if you"  
  
Mary cut in stopping Remus.  
  
"Actually I'm not sorry." She said softly.  
  
"Neither am I." Remus said smiling slyly.  
  
"Then what the heck are you waiting for?" Diane catcalled.  
  
They didn't even hear her. They didn't need to as they leaned toward each other falling once more into another moment of bliss. They had found the answers to love in one simple kiss.  
  
**A/N: Unfortunately there are 2 more fluff chapters after this. I split one chapter that was about 12,000 words long into various smaller chapters. I'll try to have two more out this week! **


	13. Just Friends?

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the delay. I'm leaving Wednesday and I'm trying to pack and finish some of the summer work before I miss the deadline. I don't understand why teachers give out summer homework, other then to make the student's lives living hell. So of course I left it all for the last second. Way to go Hazel. Thank you for the reviews! **Thanks to spawn32818, Amelia Bedelia, Agloechen, J.E.A.R.K.Potter, Animalluvr75, Some12, mionexavier and starborn for reviewing and making my day**. The title of the chapter might change, I can't think of anything else right now.  
  
**Cursed **

**By HazelMist  
  
Chapter 13: Just Friends?  
**  
"I lost!" Mary grumbled.  
  
"Well what did you expect? They're so stubborn that I'm not even sure if they'll get together by midnight." Lily said laughing.  
  
"Having second thoughts?" Remus asked her raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Never. I'm bringing you down Lupin." Lily grinned confidently.  
  
"We'll see about that." Remus said winking.  
  
"Fine you'll see. I'm going to go home fifteen galleons richer." Lily told them all.  
  
"Riiiggghhhttt." Mary said laying her head on Remus' chest. Remus smiled and draped his arm around her bringing her closer to him.  
  
"Aw look at the love birds." James teased.  
  
"They're so cute!" Lily squealed jokingly.  
  
"I wouldn't be talking Snogging king and queen." Mary reminded them.  
  
"We're proud of our title." James said drawing Lily close to him. Lily laughed and playfully hit him.  
  
"You'll do anything for a kiss." Lily said grinning up at him.  
  
"You've got a problem with that?" James asked her slyly.  
  
"Well no not necessarily." Lily shot a glance at Remus and Mary.  
  
"Why don't we talk about this outside?" Lily whispered seductively in his ear. James face lit up and with a hasty goodbye to Mary and Remus he dragged a laughing Lily out the door before they could say quidditch.  
  
"Geez they do live up to their title." Mary remarked.  
  
"I'm not sure we can compete." Remus commented.  
  
"We can try." Mary said mischievously.  
  
"I won't object to that." Remus said then he leaned down pulling her into another kiss.  
  
The hours had passed quickly and now it was nearly eleven. To everyone's surprise the Three Broomsticks hadn't emptied instead the crowd seemed to have grown larger. It seemed as if more students had piled into the small pub and flooded the dance floor.  
  
Amos and Diane were joking at the bar. Diane was finding that she was actually starting to enjoy herself. But she still couldn't keep her eyes from searching for that certain someone.  
  
That certain someone was actually having a horrible time. He had begun to realize that his date was a brainless blonde. (It took him long enough) But he was amusing himself watching her. She had had one too many butter beers and she was actually rather funny, even though she wasn't trying to be. Perhaps he was losing his mind but instead of joining the blonde with her many drinks, he concentrated on listening to the musical laughter of another girl that he secretly wished was with him now.  
  
"Oh I have to tell you this story about Lily and James. It was second year and Sirius and I were in the common room. Who comes in but Lily. She came storming into the room raving like a banshee about something James did to her, and you know how she can get when she loses her temper. Well unfortunately Sirius didn't know her very well at the time. He decided that he was going to tease Lily about James." Diane told Amos.  
  
"So he starts saying "Lily why don't you go ask him out already. We all know it's all an act and that you two really fancy each other." She hit him really hard. He had this big red hand mark and everything. It was so funny. You'd think he'd get the picture by then but nooo Sirius has to be Sirius." Diane continued. Amos grinned chuckling.  
  
Sirius was sitting back at his own table listening to Diane telling the tale. He could remember it clearly in his mind and a smile was brought to his face as he remembered Diane sitting on the chair laughing at him like there was no tomorrow. It sounded so much better when she told the story. She had a way to keep you hanging onto every word.  
  
"And so he starts singing at the top of his lungs, "LILY AND JAMES KISSING IN A TREE K-I-S-S-I-N-G, First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes James in the baby carriage." I don't think I had ever laughed so hard. Lily's face turned quicker then the traffic lights and she nearly cursed him to kingdom come. That was kind of scary, for a twelve year old muggle born she knew more hexes then we ever imagined. Sirius became her guinea pig and we didn't bother her ever again."  
  
"So the moral of the story is not to bother Lily when she's mad." Amos said laughing.  
  
"Yeah Sirius helped us learn that lesson. And never ever tease her about James." Diane said laughing. She smiled wistfully remembering the memories that Sirius and her had had over the years of their friendship. Before she could stop herself she began to revert to another time in her life when she and Sirius had been the best of friends. It was a memory that she had spent most of her life trying to forget...  
  
_She was fifteen at the time, it was the summer before fifth year and she and Sirius were stuck spending yet another summer in the same house. Diane groaned remembering that there was still two more weeks remaining in their stay together. She loved Sirius dearly but his little brother and sister were worse then Peeves. She was sick and tired of waking up to find some type of slime in her hair or some type of gross animal that didn't belong in her bed. But she had no choice. Sirius and her parents were best friends and so she had to put up with them for four straight weeks every single summer. Rolling her eyes she clambered out of bed still fully dressed. She was glad that the two little brats had already gone to bed.  
  
Picking up the lantern Diane carefully lit it. She had a room to herself this year. Thank heavens, last year she had had to share it with Tiffany, Sirius' sister who was worse then his brother. She slipped on a worn pair of sneakers and started down the steps. Silently she tiptoed past the twin's bedroom and then on past her parents and his parent's bedrooms. She carefully made her way to the door and then quietly let herself out into the night.  
  
Diane smiled as she heard the door click shut behind her. Taking the lantern with her she headed down toward the glistening ocean lapping against the sandy shores down below.  
  
She climbed down the old wooden staircase and took off her shoes. She left the lantern on the jetty, the beach was lit by the moon. Smiling she walked down toward the water feeling the wind in her hair. It was a perfect night. It was like a midsummer's nights dream, she mused. The only thing she was missing now was a cute guy to lift her off her feet. She giggled at her absurd musings and sat down in the sand bringing her knees to her chest. She stared out at the rippling tide and softly she began to sing. Her voice rose steadily as the notes caught on the breeze. She sang louder and louder grinning at the sheer power she held at that very moment. She had the beach to herself, the world to herself, and she was the master of it all. But she was unaware that a certain someone, was standing against the jetty watching her with a small smile on his face. _  
  
"Hey want a drink?" Amos asked.  
  
Diane was momentarily disturbed from her memories. She blinked coming back to reality.  
  
"Sure."  
  
Sirius smiled staring into the depths of his butter beer. His date was saying something about how the room spun every time she closed her eyes. But he wasn't listening. He was remembering something that had happened a few years ago, an incident that had remained in his mind throughout the years. He closed his eyes unable to stop thinking about the way she had looked that night.  
  
_She was sitting with her knees to her chest, the wind ruffling her hair and the moonlight outlining her features. Her lovely voice stretched over the ocean as that satisfied smile appeared on her face. Her blue gray eyes twinkled as she let the notes fly each one louder then the first and yet not a trace off tune. He smiled to himself as he strode closer. She was on the last verse of the song.  
  
"It's more then friendship that keeps us strong, Even though we've been friends for so long, The way you smile, The way you joke, I feel my own heart turn to smoke, I can't fight it any longer, This feeling just grows stronger...."  
  
"So today I just came to say....I think I'm in love with you." She trailed off letting the notes die with the wind. Then she chuckled perhaps realizing her ridiculous antics. Sirius clapped his hands and she whirled around seeing him for the first time.  
  
"Please don't tell me you've been here all that time." Diane said turning a brilliant shade of red.  
  
"So what if I have." Sirius said sitting down beside her.  
  
"You must think I'm crazy now." Diane murmured pushing her messy blonde curls out of her face.  
  
"No my friend, I came to that conclusion a long time ago." Sirius quipped.  
  
She hit him. The color had left her face and she seemed to have quickly gotten over her embarrassment.  
  
"I was only stating the obvious." Sirius went on.  
  
"Gee thanks for making me feel so much better." Diane drawled.  
  
"Anytime." Sirius said grinning.  
  
"Are you like this with the ladies?" She asked jokingly.  
  
"No. But you don't fall into that category, do you?" He said turning to her.  
  
She scowled and lobbed a handful of sand at him.  
  
"I'm the sand man now. Is that it?"  
  
"Not quite." Diane said staring at him.  
  
"Well the sand man brings dreams ..."  
  
Diane dumped some more sand on his head efficiently stopping him from continuing.  
  
"What now you're reading my thoughts." She said wondering how he had known she had been thinking about dreams.  
  
"I think so." Sirius said shaking some sand out of his hair.  
  
"Right now you're thinking about how unbelievably attractive the guy next to you is." He said grinning.  
  
Diane rolled her eyes tossing some more sand at him just for the heck of it.  
  
"You wish." She said grinning.  
  
"Maybe I do." Sirius said leaning closer to her.  
  
"Shut up Romeo. I don't fall into that category remember." Diane started laughing and Sirius joined in.  
  
But he couldn't help but think, I almost kissed her. I wanted to kiss her there for a moment. Sirius shivered wondering why he had thought of her in that way  
  
"Right."  
  
"Well then what category am I in if I'm not in that one?" Diane wondered aloud.  
  
"A special category." Sirius said smiling.  
  
"Friends with advantages." Sirius said earning another playful slap from Diane.  
  
"Honestly you are impossible Sirius Black. I don't know why I put up with you." Diane said shaking her head.  
  
"Because I'm irresistible." Sirius whispered in her ear.  
  
Diane laughed and pushed him away causing him to grin.  
  
"You know you want me..." He drawled joking along with her.  
  
"Yeah I soooo want you Sirius. Take off your shirt and kiss me!" She burst into a fit of laughter unable to continue.  
  
"Anything you say my lady." He leaned closer and pushed her down into the sand.  
  
"Sirius Black get your hands off of me!" Diane said between bouts of laughter.  
  
"You asked for him and he is here. Never fear the incredible Sirius is here." Sirius joked keeping a hand on her so that she couldn't get up.  
  
"We are way too old for this game." Diane said laughing. She tried to remove his hand from her shoulder but Sirius held on grinning. They had always wrestled when they were younger.  
  
"I'm warning you Black." But she was laughing too hard to threaten him anymore then that.  
  
"What's that? You give up?" Sirius said pretending not to hear her.  
  
"Never." Diane pushed him off in a sudden burst of strength and stood up before he could push her down again.  
  
"I'm going to get you for that." Sirius said standing up and racing after her. Diane squealed and started running down the beach. But she was out of breath hardly able to breathe because she was laughing so hard. He grabbed her but instead of pushing her into the sand he picked her up in his arms and started carrying her back toward the water.  
  
"SIRIUS BLACK PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Diane screeched.  
  
"I will on one condition." Sirius grinned.  
  
"Don't even think of dropping me in the water!" Diane threatened.  
  
"You have to kiss me."  
  
"No Way!"  
  
"Then here comes the shower."  
  
"Come on Sirius quit joking around and put me down!" Diane said laughing but Sirius seemed serious.  
  
"Pucker up." Sirius said grinning mischievously.  
  
"I'm going to kill you!" She said squirming. He couldn't hang onto her and she dropped to her knees. She stood up and tackled him to the ground, catching him by surprise.  
  
"Don't ever think of throwing me into the water again, or kissing you. Got that?" Diane said firmly holding him by the shoulders.  
  
"Anything you say my lady." He said in surrender.  
  
It must have been teenage hormones that took over at that second but he saw her suddenly like he had never seen her before. Her blond curls softly touched his cheek and he realized that she was closer to him then she had ever been before. He was close enough to kiss her lips. Once again those thoughts were ignored as Sirius pulled her to him. She dropped helplessly into his embrace still slightly miffed.  
  
But she became quiet when she found herself staring into his eyes. And then suddenly he leaned forward meeting her lips. She was motionless at first, her heart barely beating. But another moment later he felt her pushing back upon his lips, she was kissing him back. They stayed like that for several moments. Sirius felt as if the world had suddenly been turned upside down and inside out. It was wonderful. It ended abruptly.  
  
"Sirius." Diane gasped pulling herself away from him. She rolled off of him and sat up in the sand, her back to him.  
  
He reached out and touched her shoulder lightly but she braced herself as if it were dangerous.  
  
"Please Sirius, stop." She whispered her voice breaking.  
  
"I'm sorry." He said hurt.  
  
"No it was my fault. Let's just pretend like it never happened. I want us to stay friends Sirius. And I'm sure that was just another bout of insanity on your part and mine." Diane said quietly.  
  
"You're right. We shouldn't end our friendship over something so stupid." Sirius said feeling his heart drop.  
  
"So it never happened." Diane said almost questioning him.  
  
"No."  
  
They sat in the sand as the sky grew lighter. In silence and their own thoughts they remained as minutes turned into an hour. Then Diane stood up and held out her hand to him.  
  
"We better get inside. Don't want the twins to miss their favorite prank subject." Diane said.  
  
He took her hand and stood up brushing the sand off of his clothes as she did the same.  
  
"So do you think Tiffany will put a spider or a frog in my bed this time?" Diane asked as they headed for the house.  
  
"Both." Sirius said grinning.  
  
"Always helping matters aren't you." Diane said rolling her eyes.  
  
As they stepped over the threshold Sirius looked back one more time to the horizon and the water. He could almost see those blue gray eyes staring back into his, almost feel those lips against his, but now... it was gone.  
  
And turning he went inside shutting the door behind him, shutting the memory out like the tide that came rolling in to wash away their footprints. It was to be forgotten, never to be spoken of again. And that was how it was...   
_Until now...  
  
**A/N: There's one more chapter in this Fluffy segment. I'll get it out tomorrow hopefully. After the next chapter the story changes a bit... Review!**


	14. Midnight Gatherings

**Author's Note:** The final chapter in the fluffy segment. It's long but this completes Hazel's fluffy festival. Chapter 15 is a turning point in this story...I believe. I leave tomorrow. The next chapter will be up hopefully July 17th, perhaps sooner if I'm lucky. **Thanks Amelia Bedelia, catnap713, spawn32818, J.E.A.R.K.Potter, mandyzcool, ckrfan, kati, and Granger-gurl- rox for reviewing.  
**  
The whole Diane/Sirius scene was by far one of my favorite scenes in the whole story. As I said before I just write what I feel like for this story, and nothing really makes sense. I really don't know where that came from, but my previous audience loved it. I appreciate the quick feedback guys, hopefully I'll be able to get a hold of a computer in a library before the 17th but no guarantees.

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist **

Chapter 14: Midnight Gatherings

Sirius came hurtling back to reality.

"Don't close your eyes Frank." His date was saying.

"Who's Frank?" Sirius couldn't help asking.

"My friend!" She exclaimed her eyes were glassy a sure sign that the alcohol was taking its toll on her.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted." She told the air with a wave of her hand.

"Don't close your eyes."

"Why?" Sirius asked aloud.

"Because the whole room starts spinning." She said wavering slightly.

"You've had too much to drink." Sirius said shaking his head.

"Frank says that I haven't had enough." She replied.

"How many have you had?" He asked her.

"One, maybe three." She held up seven fingers symbolizing three. She couldn't even count correctly.

"Maybe eleventy-seven!" She giggled at her own words.

"Frank you're sooo funny!" She said pretending to listen to the air.

"What'd he say this time?" Sirius asked rolling his eyes.

"He said that you have black hair and brown eyes and you're a Gryffindor." She said snorting.

"I am a Gryffindor, and I do have black hair and brown eyes." Sirius said getting irritated.

"Really? I thought your eyes were yellow. Your hairs blue, no maybe its green, no I know! What's that color called again, what's its name hold on I'll think of it." Suddenly her head lurched forward and she started snoring on the table.

"Oh dear." Sirius said. He glanced around and made sure no one was looking then he grabbed a drunken sixth year, a total nerd, and sat him down beside his former date.

"Take care of her." Sirius said winking.

"Ay ay mi lady!" The drunken kid started giggling like a girl, snorting in the process.

Sirius rolled his eyes and headed for the bar not taking his eyes off of her. Her back was facing him and he could hear her laughing softly at something that one of his friends had said. Oh lord, he couldn't just go up there and ask her to dance, he had to wait... Sirius sat down at the bar and arranged three or four glasses so she wouldn't see him staring at her.

"No one will ever notice." He said satisfied at his small fort of glasses, what he didn't realize was they were crystal clear.

"Hey Amos want to have a go at the dance floor?" A pretty girl asked in a casual manner.

Diane could see though that she was obviously nervous. Diane knew that the Ravenclaw was one of Amos' closest girl friends. Somebody has a crush on Amos...

"Um, Diane do you mind?" Amos asked flashing her a grin.

"Not at all." Diane said winking.

Amos pretended he didn't see this as he lead the girl out onto the floor.

Diane sighed and dropped her chin into her hands. If only it could be that easy, just go up to him, ask him, and bang you're on the dance floor with him. She didn't have that kind of courage and besides they weren't speaking to each other.

"Hey." Diane turned to see the very last person she expected.

"Hi Sirius." Diane said quietly. She hid her feelings well.

"Um, I came over here because well I wanted to apologize." Sirius said grabbing the seat next to her before another Hufflepuff could take it. The other boy looked rather disappointed missing his chance to flirt with her.

"Apology accepted." Diane said grinning. Sirius looked up shocked, he hadn't thought it would be that easy. Then he remembered that he hadn't finished his job.

"What were we fighting about anyway? I can't even remember." Diane said laughing.

Sirius joined in, he couldn't even remember but it had had to do something with them being stuck together. He shrugged it off, it didn't matter she was speaking to him now.

"So I just apologized for nothing." He joked.

"No. It was very sweet of you and now you are lucky enough to have me as a friend again." Diane said beaming.

"A friend with advantages." Sirius joked.

Diane hit him playfully scowling.

"It looks like you're alone my lady." Sirius said on a more quiet note.

"Ay, I am." Diane said looking around though there was a long line of guys that would jump for the chance to be with her. Diane overlooked this group of boys and came back to the only guy that mattered to her.

"There's an irresistible young man here waiting to ask you to dance." Sirius said grinning once more.

"Oh, really?" Diane asked raising an eyebrow.

"Where is he?" Diane said pretending to search behind him.

"Here." Sirius said striking a pose and throwing a hand over his heart.

"I don't see it, you said irresistible." Diane remarked.

Sirius glared jokingly pretending to be hurt.

"You're not making this any easier." Sirius blurted out.

"Oh is Sirius trying to ask me to dance, since his date ditched him for an IMAGINARY friend." Diane started chuckling and Sirius couldn't help but grin.

"He must have been very attractive if he was better then the legendary Sirius Black. Or then again it could be just that she had distorted vision problems, I don't know why that might be." Sirius said joking.

Sirius got up off the chair and offered her his hand. Diane took it almost immediately forgetting why.

"Are you coming?" He asked.

"Dance, right, sorry I was so preoccupied looking for that irresistible man I zoned out." Diane said jumping down off the stool.

"Fear not, Sirius is here." Sirius said and he led her onto the dance floor and took her into his arms.

He had dreamed of the day when he could hold her again for those past two years and now finally here he was; staring into those lovely blue-gray eyes. At last he had her on the dance floor with the lights down low and a slow song playing. He just wanted to close his eyes and hold the moment.

Diane couldn't believe that she was here in his arms. After all these years, she was finally with him. A new song was just beginning. A pretty witch was singing at the microphone and the crowd had gone quiet.Diane nearly choked. The song, it was nearly perfect. Tears stung her eyes as she almost could guess what the next words were.She shut her eyes and leaned against Sirius' chest, trying with all her strength to hold back the tears. He held her tight knowing what she was thinking, because he was remembering it too.

_It was one year later...The summer before their sixth year. _

Sixteen year old Sirius Black stood on the porch of the old summer house. It was nearly four in the afternoon and already the sun was beginning to sink lower into the sky. It was only the beginning of July and he still had nearly two months before he headed back to school.

Sirius Black was bored. He had only been here for less then a week and already the twins had driven him mad and he had run out of things to do. But all that was supposed to change. Diane and her family were coming to the house this very afternoon. The only problem was that they had been set to arrive at one. Where were they? It only took so long to travel by floo powder, or even a car. What was taking them so long?

"Sirius!"

Sirius whipped around to find his mother in the doorway. He leapt off the railing and ran toward her glad to finally see Diane again. But Diane wasn't there and neither were her parents. His mother's eyes were wide and were filled with shock and sadness, perhaps even fear. A Ministry official was talking very fast to his father in low voices. Even the twins had gone quiet trying their best to eavesdrop. It was a scene that startled him.

"What's going on Mom?" He asked her.

"Sirius, Diane and her parents are missing. We think that he- " she choked on her words gripping her sons shoulder. "We think that he killed them." She whispered.

Sirius felt his heart drop. No! Diane and her parents, no it couldn't be true. He had just seen Diane only weeks ago happily biding him goodbye at the station. They couldn't be gone.

"I'll be right on it." His father was saying. The Ministry official nodded and disappeared with a POP. His father ran up the steps and a moment later he heard a popping noise as he apparated to some unknown place with his wand.

"Oh darling I know how close you and Diane were. I'm sorry honey." His mother said tears silently gliding down her cheeks.

But Sirius wasn't listening. His wand was safely in his pocket. The floo powder was only a few feet away. He could make a fast dash before his mother noticed he was gone.

"I'm sorry Sirius, it's going to be hard on all of us."

Quick as a flash Sirius slipped out of her grasp. Before she knew what was happening her son was grabbing a handful of floo powder and throwing it into the fire.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She screeched.

"The Lion Manor!" Sirius exclaimed and then he was spinning and spinning and spinning...

Suddenly everything came to an abrupt halt and Sirius went flying out of the fireplace. He picked himself up and dusted the soot from his clothes. He was familiar with this manor, he had been here many times with Diane since she lived here. Thankfully no one was around. Sirius really hadn't stopped to think of what would happen if he-who-must-not-be-named was still there or ministry wizards for that matter.

"Diane?" Sirius called out.

His voice echoed through the empty parlor and throughout the house it seemed. No one was around. It was empty. Sirius started to panic. What would happen if he found her body? He wouldn't because she and her parents are not dead, he assured himself. He started forward with his wand out and ready, just in case.

Slowly he went through the house checking all of the rooms as he came to them. So far so good, Sirius thought as he found all of the rooms empty and void of any bodies or evil wizards. It was then that he approached the kitchen. Sirius should've known the moment that he opened the door what he was in for, but he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to see it. Sirius cringed and nearly dropped his wand at the sight that lay before him.

Diane's father was bleeding and was lying on the floor, killed by the unforgivable curse. Her mother was slumped against the screen door, also dead with a look of immense pain in her frozen eyes. She had obviously watched her husband, die. Sirius gave the room one last sweeping glance. He sighed in relief when he didn't find Diane's eyes staring back at him frozen in place like the others.

Sirius checked the remaining rooms but found nothing. No sign of Diane alive or dead was anywhere. He let himself out the back door. He had a pretty good idea where she was. He was just praying that she was alive when he found her.

"Diane?" Sirius called as he picked up the pace.

He was now walking across the rolling lawn of the Lion Manor. It was still beautiful even now after the terrible thing that had just taken place. If he didn't know any better he'd think it was a wonderful day to be outside. But unfortunately he wasn't that innocent.

"Diane!" Sirius yelled as he started running toward the pond. It was sheltered by trees and was one of the best parts of the manor.

Sirius and Diane had often gone down there as kids and skipped stones and played in the water. The pond was Diane's spot, being the only child. She was often there even now in her years as a teenager. He hoped that she was there now, alive. He moved away a tree branch and braced himself for the worse.

"Diane..." His voice trailed off.

She was lying on her side near the water. She wasn't moving. God, no, this could not be happening to him. He ran forward his heart pounding in his chest. He felt like it would burst at any moment leaving him to die by her lifeless side.

He knelt down beside the girl that had been with him since day one of his life. Her blonde curls were covering her face and her clothes were smudged and torn, obviously she had ran and gone through some ordeal to get here. His heart was breaking as he reached out a quivering hand and pushed the pretty curls away from her face. Her eyes were not staring back at him, they were closed and it looked as if she were sleeping. Was there still some chance that she could be alive and merely sleeping? A flicker of hope appeared in his aching soul. He gently shook her shoulder praying that she would wake up.

"Diane. Diane. Come on Diane open your eyes." He shook her more frantically. Still her eyes remained closed. Sirius began to panic again. She had to wake up she just had too! He couldn't live without her!

"Wake up! Open your eyes Diane!" He ordered his eyes filling with tears for the first time since he was seven.

He pulled out his wand, wondering why he didn't think of it before.

"Enervate." He said softly pointing it at her immobile body.

Nothing. Sirius' heart dropped to the ground. No! NO!

"NO! YOU CAN'T Be Dead! NO DIANE!" He lunged forward and was surprised to come face to face with two watery gray blue eyes.

"Sirius." She whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Diane, you're okay." Relief poured into his grief ridden body and he pulled her into a strong embrace. She clung to him wrapping her arms around him. He could hear her sobbing into his chest.

"I thought I had lost you." He whispered.

"For a moment I thought I had lost myself and you too." Diane said in between her tears.

Sirius kissed her forehead and then drew her back into his arms. He was not going to let go of her. He needed her, he loved her like a sister, like a friend. She was everything to him. He was not going to lose her again.

"I really thought you were dead." Sirius said a knot forming in his throat.

"I'm here." She whispered in his ear.

"I'm glad for it. You mean a lot to me." Sirius whispered back.

"But they're not." Diane said quietly. There was a momentary pause and Sirius' heart went out to the poor girl. She had just lost her parents and her home all in a matter of hours. They were gone, just like that.

"I'm sorry." He told her.

And then as the clouds rolled overhead Diane began to sob helplessly into his shoulder. Sirius held her in his arms, comforting her and stroking her blond hair softly. All the while he let her cry into his chest as his own thoughts raced about how close he had come to losing her.

He leaned closer toward her ear breathing in her heavenly scent.

"I love you Diane."

Sirius was brought suddenly back to the dance floor. He felt the pressure on his chest and looked down to see once again Diane clinging to him. He wrapped his arms around her more tightly as she continued to silently sob into his shirt.

"I'm here for you." He said softly.

"I know, you always have been." She whispered back.

She stood up leaning back slightly in his hold, so that she could look into his eyes. Her sad blue gray eyes met his and a ghost of a smile formed on her lips. He smiled back reaching up to touch her cheek. He slowly wiped the tears from her eyes. He loved her, he wanted her to be happy. He wanted to wash away the pain and the grief like the simple gesture had wiped away the tears. He leaned forward as the song continued to play far away and distant.

Diane stared back into those warm dark eyes. There was nothing to fear, there was only kindness and love. Then why was she suddenly shaking? Why was her heart suddenly speeding up? Why was she so scared of love? He touched her cheek once more, she closed her eyes not wanting to let go of him. This was where she wanted to be, he was the one she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. She opened her eyes to find his face only inches from hers.

Hesitating she closed her eyes once more. Slowly she leaned toward him calling upon the courage that only a Gryffindor had. Bravely she dove blindly into love._  
_  
Sirius pulled her gently toward him. The last gap was closed. They couldn't get any closer. He had been waiting for this forever. He remembered the day near the water, the feel of her lips upon his, the way his heart had sped and his world turned upside down and all around. They hovered close together their breathing shallow, and quick, each knew what the next step was.

Midnight struck.

Sirius closed the gap and Diane felt his lips upon hers. She went limp in his arms only able to hold on as passion bottled up took its course. They had waited forever and now finally at last...The witch's voice trailed off dying on the last note. Sirius and Diane didn't move hardly noticing that the world was turning without them. They were interested in other things at the moment, preferably each other. After holding back for more then three years they were making up for loss time. They weren't about to let the moment go.

Oxygen was necessary. They had to break apart from each other for a brief moment. Gasping for breath Diane felt dizzy, she had never, in all her years been kissed like that. Sirius too was shocked at how wonderful it had been, and that was only their first, well it was technically their second kiss. His dark eyes met her light colored eyes and the world stopped altogether. No words were necessary. Their eyes revealed the answers. Without a moment's hesitation they leaned into another fiery kiss, sure to be better then the last.

It was love.

"Geez, look at them go!" Mary exclaimed in mock horror.

The two couples had met back at their original table. With a perfect view of the dance floor they were all having quite a laugh. Diane and Sirius had finally gotten together.

"Gotten together" was an understatement. Lily and James looked like amateurs compared to those two and that was saying something.

"Maybe we should remove them from the dance floor. I don't really like where things are going." Remus said peering at the young fourteen year olds and thirteen year olds that were watching them in disgust.

"Good point." Lily said biting her lip.

"No, they're taking care of that part." James said watching as Sirius grabbed Diane's hand and they disappeared through the crowd.

"Closets and cupboards, what did I tell you. Those two can't get enough of each other." Remus remarked to Mary.

"I'm never going to another closet for any reason. Never again. Not if there's a chance they'd be in there doing who knows what." Mary said shivering.

"We feel your pain." Lily said nodding in agreement.

"Hey I wouldn't be talking." Mary said sarcastically.

"Us, excuse me but look who's had her head on Remus' shoulder all night." Lily retorted.

Both couples blushed.

"Well I think it's decided, they're disgustingly infatuated with each other." Remus said dryly.

"Yeah, Diane and Sirius. Definitely, they're making up for the last seventeen years all in one night." Lily replied.

"Who said we were talking about them?" Mary questioned grinning.

"Hey, we're not that bad. I thought we went through this already." James said scowling.

"We did. But refresh my memory." Remus said sliding his arm around Mary.

Lily rolled her eyes and Mary and Remus chuckled.

"So about that bet..." Lily said casually leaning into the conversation. They could tell that she had been dying to talk about this and could hardly contain her excitement.

"What bet?" Mary asked.

"The bet!" Lily exclaimed loudly.

"Whoa calm down there Lily." James said grinning.

"Oh that bet." Mary drawled.

"Yeah, so who won?" Lily asked waiting for them to declare her the winner. She could not wait to shove this in James' face.

"They kissed a minute after midnight." Remus said grinning.

"So I guess I win." He said watching as Lily frowned.

"No they kissed at exactly midnight!" She insisted.

"No it was after midnight."

"Midnight exact."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"YES!"

"It was after midnight."

"Exactly." Lily suddenly covered her mouth realizing what she had just said.

"I meant exactly midnight." She protested.

"No you said it was exactly one minute after midnight." Remus said grinning.

"This is so not fair! I won fair and square." Lily said slamming a fist on the table.

"Fine we'll take a vote." Remus said with a sigh.

"Mary, James, are you with Lily, or me?" He asked.

"Ummm, well you of course Remus." Mary said grinning.

"NO FAIR!" Lily exclaimed. She looked pleadingly toward James who had a broad grin on his face. Revenge was definitely on his mind. But there were some disadvantages to that, like her being mad at him, meant no affection or kisses. That could be a minor problem. But James Potter had considered the options and was over that.

"Truthfully, it was after midnight."

Lily glared, Remus high-fived with Mary and James. If looks could kill James would be already buried in his grave, sixty feet under the soil.

The money was reluctantly handed over. Lily still felt that she had won and was increasingly cold toward James. James had the satisfaction of knowing that he had "gotten back" at his girlfriend but now she was still ignoring them as the four students got up from their seats. It was nearly 12:30 am and already the place was clearing out. Last rounds of Butter beer were going round the pub and the waitresses were pushing the students out left and right.

"I wish this night could last forever." Mary whispered so that only Remus could hear her. She closed her eyes and leaned against his chest. Lily and James were having some type of glaring contest and didn't notice.

"This is only the beginning." Remus said softly in her ear.

Mary opened her eyes and smiled up at him then she raised her head, gently kissing him on the lips.

"Is that a promise?" She asked him using the kiss as bribery.

"Let me think about it, I might need more to make my decision." Remus said slyly.

Mary hit him and they laughed.

"Would you like to be my girlfriend?" He asked her.

"Let me think about it." She said pretending to think.

They chuckled again.

"Of course. I thought you'd never ask." She said staring into his eyes.

They kissed again.

"You Four, OUT!" Mary and Remus sprung apart. A waitress had come over to their table and was now clearing off the mugs, shooing them out the door.

The four of them got up from their seats and headed for the doors. They walked out into the warm dark night leaving behind the Pub where two special relationships had begun.

"Where's Diane and Sirius?" Mary asked as they climbed into one of the carriages.

"Together that's for sure." Remus commented.

"Who cares, our work is done. They won't be back for a long time." James said grinning.

"I think we can say that this trip was a definite success." Lily said smiling for the first time.

"Yes it definitely was." Mary said smiling.

She watched as the Pub disappeared from view as the carriage lurched forward. She would never forget this night. It was one night that would not be forgotten as long as she lived.

**A/N: The song was obviously the Mandy More one. I forget what it's called though. I'm not really a song person as you can tell. Special thanks to Meha who suggested it so many months ago and gave me a lot of the ideas for this story. I blame her for the fluff. **

**Oh and if you're looking for something to read, a gret L/J story, read Amelia Bedelia's Light. It's one of my absolute favorites, she's got talent. **

**Thanks again, I'll be back the 17th! And all of this is prewritten, so there's more coming I promise. **

**6/27/05 – Lyrics removed due to new restrictions. **


	15. Waking Up

**Author's Note: I'm two days late. Sorry I got back yesterday and I went straight to sleep. Thank you so much for the reviews! This is the most reviews I've ever received for a story, then again, this is also the longest story I've ever written and there's still a lot more to come. I didn't realize how long this thing was until I started posting it here.  
  
Cursed **

**By HazelMist  
  
Chapter 15: Waking Up**  
  
_A dark cloaked figure swept through the graveyard. Weaving his way through the broken and cracked tombstones, that had seen better days, he seemed to be pacing, waiting for something. His face was hidden by a white mask that revealed only his gray eyes and a shock of blonde coming from the hood. The black cloak covered him entirely, complete with the hood. He was a Death Eater.  
  
Suddenly there was a popping noise and another figure appeared. He was taller and older. He was not wearing a mask and had neglected to raise his hood. His disheveled graying hair told the story, he was distressed and angry. The hooded figure cowered slightly as the older man spotted him and came striding over to him. His eyes flashed angrily as he preyed upon the shorter man.  
  
"You've failed me, I thought you had that girl in your hands. Everything was supposed to go smoothly after that. What were you thinking putting someone that strong under the Imperius curse! Of course she was going to fight it. Now our cover is thrown. Who knows what she's already told." He ran a hand through his grey hair once more causing it to stick up in all directions.  
  
"What am I going to tell my lord! You failed me, your failed him! I'll make sure you pay for this!" He said pointing a threatening finger at the cowardly Death Eater.  
  
"Please, she's the weakest of the three. They're all powerful. I miscalculated her power. She's under a silencing spell, our cover won't be blown just yet. Please, have mercy on me." He threw himself upon his knees.  
  
"I fear the master's wrath." The cowering figure whispered.  
  
"The only reason why I can't kill you right this very moment is because you are friends with those Gryffindors. Let this be a warning for you Wormtail, there are only so many mistakes you can make." The older man sneered.  
  
Then with a "POP" he was gone. The cowering figure sat on the ground for many a moment before he suddenly turned and looked behind him. He slowly removed the mask from his face revealing the familiar face of..._

Lily woke with a start. Shaking and sweating all over she sat up. She was glad to find herself back in her own dormitory. Her heart stopped pounding and slowly her breathing became regular. She stood up and headed for the window. The fresh air seemed to calm her.  
  
This was the second time she had had a dream like that. Last time she had woken to find Jenn under the Imperius curse, but thankfully this time there was no one creeping about the dormitory. In fact the sun was already peeking above the horizon shedding a dull gray light on the castle and rolling hills below. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a dream. She couldn't even remember who the familiar face had been. It was just a silly dream, nothing important.  
  
"There's nothing to be afraid of." She told herself aloud.  
  
She climbed back into her bed, hoping to be able to get a few hours more of sleep. But even as she drifted into the realms of sleep, Lily couldn't shake the feeling that the dreams had been something important and the face was something that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Slowly she rolled over and remembered no more of the dream. If only she had remembered, then perhaps her fate would be different.  
  
Diane slowly opened her eyes. She had the most wonderful dream. There had been Sirius and dancing and kisses and it was wonderful. Too bad she didn't have dreams like that all the time. Reluctantly she rubbed her eyes and sat up. Removing her hands from her face she was shocked to find that she was not in her bed back in the dormitories. In fact there was a heavy weight pressing down on her shoulder. Glancing down she saw that Sirius Black was sleeping on her shoulder. Diane nearly screamed. She was in a dark strange room with Sirius Black sleeping on her shoulder! It took all her strength not to scream or panic. What was going on!?  
  
She didn't dare move, she was too afraid that she might wake Sirius. Now that she took a second look at him, she found that she couldn't look away. He looked like a handsome angel that had innocently fallen asleep on her shoulder for some unknown reason. No one would ever imagine that he was a mischievous heart breaking prankster. She reached over and gently removed a strand of hair from his forehead. Her fingers brushed across his cheek and suddenly he stirred.  
  
Diane hurriedly untangled herself from his arms. Perhaps he wouldn't suspect anything if she just didn't say anything and pretended not to notice him.  
  
Sirius opened his eyes and immediately saw her getting up from the floor. He sat up and smiled. Too late.  
  
"'Morning." He said yawning.  
  
"Um, good morning to you too." Diane said wondering what she was doing here with him.  
  
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Diane was unable to back away in time.  
  
"Sirius, what are you doing?" She said pulling away.  
  
"Kissing you." He said puzzled.  
  
"Why would, oh my god!" She jumped to her feet leaning against the wall. The dream had not been a fantasy, it had been real. Bits and pieces suddenly came together to form the story that had been momentarily forgotten. After they had left the Three Broomsticks they had come to the Shrieking Shack and kissed and talked for a while. Then she remembered falling asleep in his arms. And here they were, back in the shrieking shack, and it was Daylight!  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked her nervously. He hoped she hadn't changed her mind about him.  
  
"Perfectly." She whispered smiling.  
  
She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. After a minute or two she drew away from him gasping.  
  
"I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a dream." She said softly.  
  
"It's not a dream. This is real." And he drew her into his arms kissing her again.  
  
"Um, as much as I'd like to stay here, we kind of sort of have to leave." Diane said pointing at the beginning signs of dawn outside the cracked window.  
  
"Right." Sirius said running a hand through his dark hair.  
  
"How are we going to get back?" Diane asked panicking slightly.  
  
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sirius asked her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm a Marauder, Diane." He said grinning. Diane laughed.  
  
He took her by the hand and led her out of the room and down a flight of stairs. Soon they had entered a dark tunnel. Diane clung to his hand wondering where on earth he was taking her. But she trusted him, he was Sirius Black. A light formed at the end of the tunnel growing larger and larger until suddenly Sirius pulled her out into the light. It was only until she looked back that she realized they had just walked out of a frozen Womping Willow.  
  
"How did you do that?" She asked as they started running toward the castle.  
  
"What?" He asked her as they reached the castle doors.  
  
"You led us from the shrieking shack and the womping willow, and now we're here." She said as they stepped into the castle.  
  
Sirius grinned and shrugged.  
  
"It was magic I guess." He said jokingly.  
  
Diane was not able to pry any further because Sirius suddenly grabbed her by the arm pulling her up a flight of stairs. Diane matched his stride and grinning they made haste for the common room.  
  
They took their time, despite their intentions of getting back in before their friends woke up. There were many breaks where Sirius and Diane would stop and "explore". At last they arrived back at the portrait. They were surprised to find that the Fat Lady was fast asleep.  
  
"What are you two doing up at this hour?" The Fat Lady scolded them when she awoke.  
  
"Pumpkin Juice." Diane said quickly.  
  
The Portrait had no choice but to swing open for them. Diane and Sirius clambered eagerly into the common room.  
  
They were glad to find that it was completely empty. At least that's what they had thought. But just as Sirius pulled her to her for a last kiss...  
  
"Well, well, well. It's Sirius and Diane snogging!"  
  
Diane and Sirius jumped apart, startled.  
  
They were not alone. Lily, Remus and James smiled innocently back at them. Their chess game and Lily's book had been instantly forgotten as soon as the two love birds had made their grand entrance. Diane turned a brilliant shade of red, matching Lily's hair. Sirius on the other hand just casually grinned and pulled Diane closer to him all the same.  
  
"Are you planning on putting a show on for us." Lily teased.  
  
"Why not." Diane said boldly.  
  
She closed the gap between them with a bravery she didn't know she had. Forgetting the others entirely, the kiss deepened and Sirius and Diane entered their own little galaxy much to their fellow Gryffindor's displeasure.  
  
"Okay, okay we get the picture!" Remus said shielding his eyes from them.  
  
"Enough!" Lily laughed.  
  
Diane pulled away from Sirius with a mischievous grin. Her eyes twinkled as she challenged Lily once more.  
  
"We do like to be the center of attention. Shall we begin Act 2?" She asked jokingly.  
  
Lily, James and Remus instantly shut up. Sirius looked over at Diane with admiration and amusement. Diane just grinned and winked, she was pleased with the silence. That was the very last of the teases and jokes.  
  
Mary chose that second to make her sleepy entrance into the common room. She immediately went straight to Remus, there was no doubt in her mind as there had been on Diane's. She sat down beside him on the floor drawing her knees to her chest to watch the Chess game (that they had finally got back to) through tired eyes. She wasn't a morning person and was one of those people that preferred late nights, rather then early mornings though she was a light sleeper.  
  
"Aren't you wide awake and bushy tailed this morning!" Lily teased.  
  
Mary tossed her a glare before turning back to the game. Diane and Sirius had settled onto one of the large chairs by the fire and were whispering about something. Lily went back to her book after realizing that Mary was not planning on returning her cheery greeting or forming any sentences for that matter at this hour. The common room settled back into a sleepy quiet as slowly the other students trickled down from the other dormitories.  
  
You can imagine the shock of Taylor when she arrived at the foot of the staircase an hour or so later. Not only was Mary resting in Remus' arms, but Sirius and Diane were whispering together in low voices every now and again leaning forward to place a kiss on the others cheek. Lily and James were not snogging as she had expected, instead James was trying unsuccessfully to coax Lily away from her Charms essay. Lily refused to remove herself from the parchment (even though it was due in two weeks), saying that it was important. James was quickly losing patience, already beginning to run his hand through his messy hair.  
  
"Come on Lily, please." James pleaded.  
  
"No. This requires my immediate attention at the moment. It's important." Lily said firmly, her quill moving slowly across the page.  
  
"I'm important." James whined.  
  
Lily looked up at him with a cross between amusement and annoyance. Then she shook her head and returned to the paper.  
  
James looked extremely annoyed at this point. He wasn't used to being ignored by girls. He was losing patience quickly, why all of a sudden, he couldn't explain. Taylor saw this and came to Lily's rescue.  
  
"Hi guys." She said striding over to the group.  
  
"Hi Taylor."  
  
"'Morning Taylor."  
  
"Hello Taylor."  
  
Remus, James and Lily were the only ones that replied. Turning around they suddenly noticed that Sirius and Diane were mysteriously silent. That was because they were back on planet elsewhere. Lily groaned receiving accusing looks from Remus and Mary.  
  
"I see that they finally found their feelings for each other." Taylor said nodding toward Diane and Sirius.  
  
"Oh yeah. They've been joined at the hip." Remus agreed.  
  
"And you two." Taylor turned on Remus and Mary. The couple blushed under her stare.  
  
"So when did this all happen, last night?" She guessed noticing the bags beneath their eyes.  
  
"Yeah." The four chorused.  
  
"Wow, I missed everything." She laughed.  
  
"Suddenly it seems cupid has taken a liking to the Gryffindors. What was in your drinks, love potions?" Taylor teased.  
  
"No, Mary just finally noticed my handsome looks. It must have been the lighting or perhaps she just came to her senses." He earned a punch from his girlfriend.  
  
"No actually, I think I was a little tipsy from those drinks. I don't know what I saw in you." She said drawing back slightly.  
  
Remus narrowed his eyes and Mary grinned and crawled back into his arms with a laugh.  
  
"What about you Taylor, I didn't see you back in the dormitories last night." Mary remarked casually.  
  
"Oh that. I uh got lost on the way back." Taylor said pretending to brush it off.  
  
"You didn't seem to have a problem finding the Ravenclaw Common room, or the Boys Dormitory for that matter." Mary said grinning wickedly.  
  
Taylor's cheeks colored and looked down at the floor pulling something from her pocket. Mary suddenly yelped as a red light narrowly missed her. It was Taylor's turn to grin.  
  
"You were saying?" She asked sweetly.  
  
"You're as dangerous as Lily and James." Mary said rubbing her head.  
  
Everyone laughed.  
  
Suddenly an owl swooped into the room bearing a message. It flew over to Taylor settling on her shoulder as she unfolded the parchment and began to read. She smiled and reread the letter before grabbing Lily's quill out of her hand ("HEY!") and writing a reply back. She tied the letter back onto the owl's leg and watched as it flew out the window. As it disappeared she realized that Lily was trying to pull the quill from her hand, that she was holding onto tightly.  
  
"Excuse me but I think I was using that." Lily said trying unsuccessfully to take it away from Taylor. Taylor jumped up with a grin on her face holding it above her head out of Lily's reach.  
  
"Give it back Taylor." Lily complained.  
  
"Nope." Taylor said grinning slyly. James caught her eye and held out his hands. Lily was now taking out her wand as Taylor danced out of her reach and dodged a curse.  
  
Lily sent another spell at the quill, aiming right for it. But at the last second Taylor flung the quill across the room, into James' outstretched hands. He caught it and grinned as Lily whirled around to face him.  
  
"Can you please just give me back my quill?" Lily asked politely.  
  
James pretended to think for a moment.  
  
"No." He shook his head.  
  
Taylor backed up toward the portrait, hoping to slip away unnoticed.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Mary asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Uh, the library. Yeah I'm going to the library." Taylor said nodding.  
  
"You, the library?" Mary snorted knowing her friends too well.  
  
"Yeah, I need some um, books. Yeah that's what they're called. I need some books on er the International Federation of Socks! I'm doing a report on them and the Society of Sneakers." Taylor said making up the first things that came to her head.  
  
Mary's eyebrows went higher.  
  
"It's a very interesting topic! I read a book called the um the Striped Sock rebellion and the revenge of the purple sneaker." Taylor continued.  
  
"Riiiiggghhht and I'm the Queen of England." Mary remarked rolling her eyes. She waved her hand at Taylor motioning her to leave.  
  
"You need to work on your alibis girl." She laughed.  
  
Taylor was already gone.  
  
I'm sure they would have been soooo surprised to find out that Taylor was meeting a certain Ravenclaw there, by the last name of Prewett.  
  
"Give it back to me, James." Lily said quietly.  
  
Mary found that she had missed a good portion of the fight and already Lily was on the verge of losing her temper. Remus was standing up nervously watching the two with his wand out ready to come to James' rescue at any moment. Mary stood up ready to restrain or stun Lily if the time came. It was almost like old times, Mary thought with a jolt. But no, they wouldn't, couldn't go back to those times. Not after all this happened.  
  
"Uh, uh, uh." He teased, he was taller than her by at least a half a foot.  
  
"James, give it back." Lily's voice was deadly calm. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.  
  
James just grinned, his eyes dancing. Didn't he see what he was getting himself into? Mary wanted to beat him over the head, scream at them both. But they loved each other, what was she worrying about? There was something about a spell though. Lily had told her something. Something, she wished that she could remember.  
  
"Nope I think I'm going to keep it here....Evans." James easily skipped out of the way of her spell with his quidditch reflexes. Mary and Remus turned to each other a look of panic in their eyes.  
  
"Give it back, Potter." Lily said with narrowed eyes.  
  
James met her gaze with a look that was equally cold. Mary and Remus backed away uncertainly as Lily stood her ground. Her green eyes were now filled with confusion though. She seemed hesitant, not really knowing what to do. Not again...  
  
James stepped forward his eyes on hers, a cold hatred seemed to shadow his eyes like a veil. It hadn't been there before, but now suddenly he was transformed into someone else. Lily trembled slightly, he mistaken it for fear. He moved toward her like a prowling animal ready to grasp their prey.  
  
"No, please, wait." Lily's voice was hardly a whisper. James was emotionless and was deaf to her pleas. He advanced another step. His vision suddenly becoming distorted as Lily Evans raised her green kind eyes to meet his. His love, the one who was everything to him, now suddenly seemed to be nothing but a girl masked in evil. Lily's eyes pleaded for him to reconsider, forgive her, and forget about the small differences. But another part of him was stronger as he once again slipped back into the memory mode.  
  
_James blinked. He was back in that room again. He was back right where the last vision had left off. They were still in detention and Lily was still sitting in her chair sulking and he was still in his sulking as well.  
  
"Lily, are you going to sit there all day or are you going to start transfiguring chairs into boxes!" He heard himself ask angrily. He was fuming.  
  
Lily's head snapped up. She was still fingering the scar as she got up from her seat. She just stood there for a moment. He remembered that scar. His eyes widened. But the James Potter in the memory just glared.  
  
James looked at her. She was in some kind of a daze.  
  
Lily looked up and scowled because he was looking at her queerly.  
  
"Why haven't you done anything yet then?" She said loudly.  
  
"Because I wanted to see you do it first since you work for your grades and I do absolutely nothing." James said lazily.  
  
"Oh shut up." Lily snapped.  
  
"Well."  
  
"You go first." Lily choked the words out as if it was being forced.  
  
"Fine. But are you sure, I mean surely you know this better then I the James Potter who goes gallivanting around the school playing pranks and"  
  
"Shut up. I said go first. I say what I mean." Lily said sternly cutting in.  
  
"So you're admitting that the all so great Lily really actually needs the help of I James Potter." James Potter drawled. Lily was really getting angry. She was fully out of her daze now. He could see the real her coming alive about to jump and strangle him. That was Lily Evans. James grinned.  
  
Lily remained silent. But she was about ready to let lose her wrath in about ten seconds.  
  
10  
  
9  
  
"Say it Lily."  
  
8  
  
"Lily I've heard you speak before."  
  
7  
  
6  
  
"Say it. I need James Potter. Come on repeat after I."  
  
5  
  
"Because he is the greatest guy alive and "  
  
4  
  
"he knows transfiguration better then  
  
3  
  
"Lily Evans."  
  
2  
  
"I don't hear you Lily."  
  
Lily gripped her wand.  
  
1  
  
And then there was blast from her wand like no other. James couldn't have gotten out of the way even if he had wanted too. It seemed to track him exactly. James had no time to deflect it, no time to think as the spell came hurtling toward him. It was the result of a red head's temper gone too far. He had pushed her over the edge, at last. He would've grinned but suddenly the spell hit him crashing him full force into the wall. It wasn't just one spell, but a variety of spells. His last thoughts were of revenge, hatred for the redhead, and surprisingly a strange feeling he couldn't pin point. But then everything had gone black, crashing in on him, leaving him unconscious and a part of his mind blocked off, rendered useless. That was all... it was a dark tunnel from there on...._James eyes snapped open. He faced Lily Evans, his enemy, his love. The green eyes staring pleadingly back into his. A mixture of love and hate filled his aching heart as he reached out wondering whether to slap her or stroke her cheek. Neither side of him won out because at that moment the full force of his forgotten memory suddenly slammed into him. With a last loving glance, his warm brown eyes closed and he collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.  
  
**A/N: Cliff Hanger! Sort of. I'm going away again Saturday, but I'll have probably 2 or maybe 3 more chapters up before I leave. Please read and review! **


	16. The Changing Tides

**Author's Note: Sorry, I meant to have this out earlier but I've been working all this week and getting ready for my next trip.  
  
I actually deleted one small section of this chapter but it didn't involve any of the characters, and to be honest I don't really know what I was thinking sticking it in there. And I added to this chapter. Go Hazel. The Person who never edits anything. I was reading this over and I thought that it went a little too fast so I added to it. That's two points for Hazel.**

**I feel so smart, I just figured out where those page break lines come from. YAY! Back to the story.**

Cursed 

**By HazelMist  
  
Chapter 16: The Changing Tides**  
  
Lily screamed and stayed frozen on the spot. Remus' wand was raised in mid air and Mary had froze between James crumpled body and the stunned Lily where she had gone to break up what looked like a brawl. But now everything seemed to freeze in place as time slowed down, coming to a standstill. Lily stopped breathing altogether remembering that look in his eyes. A look torn between hatred and love, that both tore and filled her heart. And then suddenly recognition had dawned in his eyes, he had gone into a trance and then suddenly he had staggered and fell to the ground with a last look of love.  
  
Lily pressed her hand to her mouth and slowly her heart started beating again. Mary and Remus were moving and Lily was kneeling down beside James. Sirius and Diane had come running into the common room and joined the rest in the commotion. Several other students arrived. The curious and nosy pushing toward the small huddle of seventh year Gryffindors that had surrounded James' body. Chatter filled the once quiet common room.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"Who screamed?"  
  
"What happened?" Diane asked dropping beside Lily who looked close to tears.  
  
"He, he...he fainted." Lily said meekly.  
  
"Lily, I really don't think that was all that happened. Are you sure that you didn't harm James in any way? Maybe just by accident?" Sirius began but Diane silenced him with a short lived glare.  
  
"Remus and I saw everything that happened. Lily didn't lay a hand on him." Mary explained.  
  
"But what about a"  
  
"Or a wand!" Mary clarified for Sirius.  
  
"Okay, calm down everyone. Did James just faint?" Diane asked.  
  
"Yeah I guess so." Mary shrugged though she looked puzzled as if something was bothering her.  
  
"Lily?"  
  
Lily was still staring at James with a look of confusion, grief and fear. She hadn't said a word but sometime during the chaos she had taken James hand in her own holding it tightly. She made a small noise in her throat.  
  
"She's just sad about her boyfriend. Just think an hour or more that those two will have to be separated. Heaven forbid that should happen." Mary said.  
  
"Plus they were mad at each other before he fainted. They were arguing." Remus commented.  
  
"They were arguing?" Diane asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, while you two love bugs hit the closet Lily and James got tense and then they started arguing after Taylor left." Mary was not rewarded with even the slightest amount of a blush in Diane or Sirius' face.  
  
"Come on, let's get him to the hospital wing. Levitation you reckon?" Diane levitated James and stood up with Remus and Sirius on her heels. Mary on the other hand noticed that Lily hadn't moved from the spot.  
  
"Come on Lily, let's go see James." She said tapping the red head on the shoulder.  
  
"James...." Lily murmured softly.  
  
"Yeah James." Mary said wondering why Lily was acting like this. She tried to get the red head to stand up and follow her but Lily wouldn't budge.  
  
"What's wrong with you? Come on Lily we're going to see James. Don't you want to see him?" She knelt down on the floor beside her.  
  
Lily's green eyes stared far away off into the distance. A faint smile had appeared on her lips but now it was suddenly replaced with a look of grief. Mary shook her gently successfully taking her out of her odd little trance.  
  
"LILY!"  
  
"Yes?" Lily asked quietly her eyes snapping back to Mary.  
  
"We're going to see James, now come on." Mary said grabbing her arm.  
  
Still Lily would not budge from the floor and Mary ended up sitting back down. Her friend had dropped her head into her hands, wrenching her arm free from her grasp. Mary looked over at her startled.  
  
"What's wrong Lily?" She asked softly.  
  
"Everything." Lily muttered.  
  
Mary placed a comforting arm on her shoulder.  
  
"James is going to be okay. And I'm sure you'll resolve your differences. It was only a little fight." Mary began but Lily was shaking her head.  
  
"Or not...." Mary said trailing off with a sigh. This was going to take longer then she thought. Suddenly she remembered something. That tiny piece of information that she couldn't remember now suddenly came rushing back to her flashing before her eyes and registering in her mind.  
  
"It's over." Lily whispered lifted her face from her hands. Mary was shocked to see tears in her green eyes and a look of pure grief written on her face.  
  
"You mean....the spell." Mary trailed off as Lily nodded sadly.  
  
"He's going to remember everything. He's going to hate me. Nothing, nothing's going to be the same." Lily trembled and Mary tried her best to think of something to say. But she found that her mind was entirely blank.  
  
"I'm sorry. But you know Lily it could work. You and James do after all love each other. And love is eternal." Mary remarked gaining a flash of hope in Lily. But it was defeated as soon as it appeared with another one of her heart felt sighs.  
  
"No, this is different. It's over. The spell's broken and now James Potter hates me even more then before. I can only imagine what he's going to do to me once he discovers all that has been happening." She stood up with a helping hand from Mary.  
  
"I loved him though. That's what gets me so mad! I knew this was going to happen and I fell in love with him! Why, why does this have to happen to me? What am I going to do?" She began pacing about the room, Mary just watching her loss for words. She imagined herself in Lily's situation if this had happened with Remus. She would be heart broken, but what else could she do.  
  
"Miracles do happen." Mary breathed.  
  
Lily stopped her pacing momentarily.  
  
"Did you say something?" She asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"No." Mary said shaking her head. Then she followed Lily out of the portrait and into the hall, heading for the dreaded infirmary. She was about to witness another dreaded battle between Lily and James.  
  
She could only imagine how terrible Lily felt, knowing what she was going to come face to face with behind the white doors of the infirmary.  
  
A broken heart.

* * *

"Why do they paint the walls white in here? I mean honestly don't they know it makes people dizzy. It's just too plain, too unoriginal, too, too, it's too clean!" Sirius exclaimed settling down into a chair beside James' bed. Madam Pomfrey was bustling about throwing each of the three kids a glare every once and a while. But apparently she was too busy with worrying over James to go through the trouble of kicking them out.(which was what she wanted to do of course)  
  
"That's the idea Sirius. This is the infirmary not the Boys Dormitory." Diane said pulling over another chair beside him.  
  
"Well it makes my head spin." Sirius complained.  
  
"Then that explains why your dormitory is a total dump." Diane snorted.  
  
"Ahhh and you would know this because..." Remus trailed off waiting for an answer.  
  
"Every girl knows it. It's Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew that we're talking about here. It's obvious that you guys live like animals." Diane covered up easily. Sirius shifted uncomfortably in his chair as Remus shot him a questioning look. Sirius shook his head no, he hadn't told her anything about that stuff.  
  
"Or it could be just because you have a terrible hangover considering you were out until one drinking. Actually I don't recall you two coming back to the Dormitories at all. I assume that drinking wasn't all that you were doing." Remus said casually staring at his hands.  
  
Diane and Sirius both refused to answer to this, causing Remus to grin slyly.  
  
"So that explains it I was wondering why-"  
  
"Hey Everyone!" Mary greeted them all dragging a pale looking Lily behind her. She gave Remus a quick kiss on the cheek and then went and grabbed chairs for both her and Lily.  
  
"Sit!" She instructed Lily. Lily obediently sat down, but it was as if her mind was elsewhere.  
  
"What's up with her?" Diane asked aloud. Lily didn't even blink in her direction.  
  
"Er, she's worried, about her sweet heart." Mary murmured taking a nervous glance at Lily who was staring at James again with far away eyes.  
  
"Lily?"  
  
"Earth to Lily!"  
  
"Calling Lily back from Planet Potter!"  
  
"This is Houston, calling Lily."  
  
There was no response.  
  
"We've lost her." Mary sighed.  
  
There was a brief silence as the others watched Lily who was holding James hand in her own and staring at him with a lost look on her face. You'd think he was already dead by her face.  
  
"She loves him so much." Diane sighed.  
  
"You don't see a relationship like theirs very often. I thought at first that it was all a bunch of bull. But now, just look at her. They're the perfect couple." Diane sighed resting her chin in her hand.  
  
"Are you implying something?" Sirius asked loudly.  
  
"No, I was just saying how they used to hate each other and all and now they're in love." Diane answered quickly.  
  
Mary had dropped her head into her hands. Remus touched her shoulder causing her to look up.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked her.  
  
Diane and Sirius' attention were caught also. Mary stared back into the three pairs of eyes and then glanced at Lily who was now stroking James' cheek.  
  
"Nothing." She whispered.  
  
She didn't want to tell them the awful truth. Not now. She would tell them after it happened. But perhaps it wouldn't happen after all. Mary sat back in her chair knowing it was false hope, but she didn't want to see Lily hurt. That was the very last thing she wanted to see happen.  
  
But it was unavoidable.

* * *

Lily tenderly brushed a strand of his black hair away from his eyes. She would miss being able to touch his face, being able to brush the hair away from his eyes and run her fingers through his unruly messy locks. She would miss his kisses, the loving words they shared and the conversations and laughs they had had together.  
  
It was amazing that it was all over. Everything was coming to an end. She still couldn't believe that James had gone from her enemy, to her love and now to a heart break waiting to happen. She would never be able to hate him again, never be able to look him in the eye, never be able to love him in the way she was used too. Secretly deep down inside she would continue. But she would have to put on an act for the rest of her life. Why does it have to end this way? She wondered and pondered over these questions not noticing that the patient was beginning to stir.  
  
"Lily?" A voice murmured.  
  
Lily turned to see two brown eyes staring back into her own. James was awake! Her face was filled with relief and she touched his hand in a friendly manner.  
  
"I'm glad you're alright." She said patting his hand. Then she quickly drew it back even though she longed to leave it there. She knew she should turn away now, walk away without a second thought but instead she stayed watching as his stunned face, turned to confusion. Maybe it wouldn't work!  
  
Fat Chance.  
  
"Evans, what are you doing here?" He was still a little confused.  
  
"James I, don't you remember?" She asked weakly.  
  
Maybe he wouldn't remember, Lily was praying silently.  
  
James forehead crinkled in concentration as he tried to remember what his weird dream had been about. It was all there, and it hadn't been a dream. It was the shocking truth. Anger pounded through his veins as he turned to look at her.  
  
"EVANS, you cast a spell on me and landed me here in the infirmary!" He sat up in bed, his head still a little dizzy causing the room to spin.  
  
"Lay back down." Lily pushed him forcefully back down onto the pillow.  
  
"NO! We were in Detention and you, you..." His mind was still foggy, it was too much to remember all at once. Wildly he struggled against her.  
  
"James!" She growled trying to force him back down. But James won the struggle, nearly knocking her out of her chair as he lurched to his feet.  
  
"You bitch, you cast a love spell on me!" He exclaimed leering over her. His head was still spinning and he was swaying, gripping the arm rest of her chair and the rail of his bed to remain standing, but his eyes flashed, burning with anger.  
  
Lily's eyes widened, James Potter had called her a lot of things but never in all their years had he ever called her a bitch. Before she knew what she was doing Lily was on her feet staring up at the old James Potter, the one she had spent seven years hating. Her voice trembled with rage as she spoke, trying to hide the crushing pain that had been brought on by his cruel hateful words.  
  
"Yes... I cast a spell on you during detention and...I was sorry." She pushed her feelings to the bottom, carefully hiding them in the back. She allowed the old feeling of hatred to flare up, feeding on her pain and sadness, adding to her new found anger geared toward James Potter himself.  
  
"But I'm not sorry anymore James." She paused, drawing on the strength of her hatred, staring up into those empty eyes of his.  
  
"You were asking for it!" It was painful but Lily knew that she had to do this, just like old times. There was no way James would want to befriend her especially after what happened.  
  
"Asking for it! I did nothing to you! And look where I am thanks to you Evans!"  
  
"It's your own fault Potter!" Lily snapped.  
  
"MINE? YOU DID THIS TO ME!" He shouted. Madam Pomfrey moved the chair causing James to lose his balance. Quickly she grabbed the boy pushing him back down onto the bed with alarming speed for a woman her age.  
  
"Prepare to PAY!" James hissed as he tried to sit up again but Madam Pomfrey was doing quite a good job restraining him. The others were on their feet huddled near the end of the bed with wide eyes and slack jaws. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.  
  
"I'll get you Evans!"  
  
Hot tears were forming in her eyes. She swallowed them and turned to face James one last time. Her throat was burning, her eyes were stinging and her friends were looking on with looks of confusion and shock.  
  
"I'm going to get you if it's the last thing I do! You will not live this one down Evans! I mean it this time! I'm going to" James' speech was cut off by Lily's quiet but stern voice.  
  
"Shut up! Shut up! Just SHUT UP!" She screamed.  
  
Silence.  
  
"I don't regret it! You DESERVED IT!" She said pointing a finger murderously at him. Then she wheeled around and stormed out of the infirmary. The room was left in silence, shell shocked and disbelief.  
  
"What just happened?" Diane asked.  
  
"I don't know." Remus muttered.  
  
Things were not the same as they had been a few hours ago. Something else was present, and only Mary was fully aware of it.  
  
The tides were changing.

* * *

**A/N: Now I can thank my wonderful reviewers. You thought I forgot about you didn't you. I'm so evil.  
**  
**Granger-gurl-rox:** Yes James knows now. They're enemies again. As you can see James didn't take it so well. sniffles  
  
**Animalluvr75:** NO DON'T DIE ON ME! I can't lose one of my faithful reviewers! Hope this update revived you, I don't know CPR.  
  
**Agloechen:** faints You're insulting my writing! I'm only kidding, that was a quick save. I love cliff hangers...they bring out the reviewers true colors. laughs  
  
**Spawn32818:** After I read that chapter, I said to myself my readers are going to kill me. I could make it longer and leave out the cliffhanger. And then I thought you know what I'm going to make suffer. No cliffie this time though.  
  
**J.E.A.R.K.Potter:** Sorry I didn't update sooner! Thanks for the review, as always!  
  
**Kuro-hidama:** I know James did take a while waking up, but believe me in this chapter he really woke up. I'm glad you found my story! Thanks for the review!  
  
**potterishotter77:** I can tell you hate me right now. But hey don't worry they'll get together in a few more years...just kidding! Don't worry they get together again...eventually. But first I make the readers suffer.  
  
**starborn:** I know what you mean! For a minute there though I thought you actually thought I killed him. I'm only joking. I was a little shocked myself how it all came together, I didn't plan any of this it all sort of just played out and came together right here. Thanks!  
  
**The 100 original BLAH:** Thank you! Yep, but James isn't finished with his memories just yet. He's still got some inner demons to conquer.  
  
**Lilchocolatechip101:** I'm glad you think it's funny! Thanks for the review!  
  
**Mione-xavier:** James remembers all of it, I think...checks notes yeah he does. As you can tell James is definitely leaning toward hating Lily even more. But we'll see. There's another part of him that thinks otherwise, but I won't give anything away just yet!  
  
**Firefur1:** Interesting, I've never been called an erson before! Sorry this took a couple of days cringes. I promise the next one will be up tomorrow. crosses fingers behind back Maybe...  
  
**Truth:** Yep, plenty of chapters and posts to come! By the end of this you will probably be incredibly sick of this story. I'm glad you love it, thanks for the review!  
  
**HPwanabe:** Oh dear, my summary turned you off. I'm not all that great at writing summaries, but believe me this one is so much better then some of the other ones I came up with for this story. I couldn't think of anything to write without giving the whole plot away so I took an excerpt from the story. I'm glad you took a chance with it and you like it! See even if people do suck at summaries, you should never judge a fanfiction by it's cover, erm, it's summary. I'll have to work on that one. Thanks for the cc!


	17. Moving On

**Author's Note: I had a little difficulty coming up with a title for this chapter so it might change. I added 2 or 3 more paragraphs, but other then that no changes were made. I might edit the next few chapters because I realize that like in this one there's a some things I left out and I might think about changing it. Also the ending to this incredibly long story doesn't really fit, so I think I might end it at 25 or something and then make a sequel with the remaining I think 10 chapters. First of all I didn't realize how long this story was and second of all, my writing drastically changes in the second part. So we'll see. But you don't have to worry about that just yet. Hopefully 18 will be up by August 4th, I think that's when I'm coming back.  
  
Cursed **

**By HazelMist  
  
Chapter 17: Moving On  
**  
James watched as she ran from the room. Her red hair swayed behind her, dancing in the light, as she disappeared from view. He suddenly wanted to race after her and scoop her up into his arms. He wanted to hold her close to him and tell her that everything was going to be okay while looking into those amazing green eyes. He wanted to breathe in her sweet scent and kiss her soft lips.  
  
Unfortunately, that was not going to happen. It seemed like the very last thing James Potter might do.  
  
The normally mischievous brown eyes flashed angrily, while his lip curled in a frown of disgust. His face was lined with a cold hatred that had long since been buried, but was now surfacing for the first time in weeks. If a wand had been within his reach, Lily Evans would probably be dead or worse. Who knows what could have happened if Madam Pomfrey and Diane hadn't taken special care to make sure that the wand was safely in Diane's pocket. It was far out of James Potter's reach.  
  
Because at that moment James Potter was very angry and very dangerous. No he was furious, raving mad, filled with rage. That evil whatever you wanted to call it (because in James Potter's mind she was certainly no girl) had blasted him with her wand when they were in detention. She had caused serious injury and damage to his mind. From what he gathered from his scarred memory was that she had not only done that, but had gone on to do something much worse. She had taken advantage of him.  
  
How dare her! Who did she think she was?! She had no right to hex him in the first place. But to take advantage of him, Evans had gone a step too far this time. He was determined to show that little brat where her rightful place was. He wanted to teach her a lesson she would never forget. His fingers itched to hold a wand and his feet longed to take him after her. He sat up, lunging toward the door. Madam Pomfrey just barely caught him before he escaped.  
  
It took Madam Pomfrey, Sirius, Remus, and the girls to restrain James. He fought tooth and nail searching frantically for his wand and screaming insults. But eventually they had him pinned down on the bed, charmed to stay in place. Madam Pomfrey took advantage of these few precious moments and shoved a liquid down James' throat. He gulped it down not knowing what it was until his eyelids suddenly became heavy and his whole body began to relax. His strength slowly drained from his body as he managed to gasp three more words.  
  
"I.......revenge......EVANS." Then he slipped into a dreamless sleep.  
  
"What happened?" Diane asked blinking.  
  
"I think James went crazy." Mary replied.  
  
There was silence as they stared at the now peacefully sleeping James Potter. It was so much better to see him that way instead of how he had been only moments before.  
  
"You four OUT!" Madam Pomfrey pointed to the opened doorway. She took her wand out and brandished it threateningly. She seemed to blame James' outburst on his friends.  
  
The students didn't need to be told twice. They ran for the door, obeying Madam Pomfrey before she had any second thoughts. The door slammed behind them.  
  
"Did anyone understand what just happened in there? Or is it just me that's confused?" Remus asked as they headed back to the common room.  
  
"No you're not the only one."  
  
"It's not just you."  
  
But Mary was silent. Remus glanced over at her wondering what was up with her. She seemed to know something that the others didn't. As they reached the portrait Remus cornered Mary allowing Sirius and Diane to go in before them.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked her.  
  
"Nothing." She said, though her eyes told otherwise.  
  
"Mary, I know you know something about this...." Remus trailed off waiting for an answer.  
  
"Look. I just don't think it's the right time to tell you yet. Lily doesn't want me explaining the situation to everyone just yet." Mary said avoiding his gaze. Remus opened his mouth to say something else but thought better of it. If Lily had said not to tell anyone then Mary was going to keep her word.  
  
The two of them entered through the portrait. Diane took Mary by the arm almost immediately.  
  
"We have to find Lily." Diane said urgently. Without another word Diane dragged Mary up a flight of stairs and into the 7th year Girls Dormitory in search of Lily.  
  
Remus sat back in his chair wondering what was wrong with this whole situation. Mary obviously knew and so did Lily and James apparently. He began to ponder and think over the days events. Nothing seemed to have been up last night.  
  
Or wait....  
  
Was it the bet?  
  
Remus began to feel guilty. He decided that first thing he would do was take his winnings and admit to Lily that she had truthfully won. Then he would be able to fix things. He smiled, he couldn't wait to tell everyone else about his plan.  
  
They found Lily huddled on the window sill. Her arms were wrapped around her as she leaned upon the sill, her eyes on the action down below. There wasn't much going on today outside of the castle.  
  
She had watched a group of Slytherin first years and Gryffindor first years have a skirmish. She had found it increasingly amusing to hide below the window and use a summoning charm to steal a big Slytherin boy's wand. He had looked stupidly about for it and the Gryffindors had had time to curse the living daylights out of the group. Once the fight was over Lily allowed the wand to drop from the sky, "accidentally" knocking the boy unconscious. But soon her mind had turned to other things, James to be more specific.  
  
It was over. When he had woken up and started raging at her, Lily knew there was no hope for her. The old James Potter was back, the "new and improved" alter ego had only been the result of a silly love spell, combined with a memory charm. Everything they had had together, the kisses, the smiles, the laughs, the conversations and the dates, it was gone. It wouldn't have lasted anyway, it had all been a lie. It still hurt. Her first love had left her with a heart torn in two. Why had she loved him? She knew that it could only end like this? Then why had she given into him?  
  
"Hey Lily." The door slammed shut causing Lily to spin around. Mary and Diane had come back from the infirmary.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"How are you doing?" Mary asked.  
  
"Okay I guess." Lily shrugged.  
  
"Don't worry about it Lily. It's going to be okay. He'll get over it." Mary said in a comforting voice.  
  
Diane stood in the doorway, still very confused as to what was going on. She folded her arms across her chest and studied the two girls with her blue-grey eyes hoping to discover their secrets.  
  
"Okay, what's going on? You better fill me in. I'm not leaving until I know everything." Diane stepped toward them joining the circle.  
  
Lily sighed and Mary leaned against the wall.  
  
"You might want to tell her. She'll bug you for eternity. I know from experience." Mary said earning a glare from Diane.  
  
Lily launched into a brief explanation about the spell. Diane quickly picked up on it and remembered Lily having told her about it a few weeks ago when the whole scenario had begun.  
  
"Oh Lily. I'm so sorry." Diane's voice was now sympathetic.  
  
"What's there to be sorry about? It was my own fault." Lily said sulkily staring out the window.  
  
"I know, but that's just awful." Diane said sadly.  
  
"Well it's too late now." Lily grumbled.  
  
"Not necessarily." Mary said.  
  
"Mary what do you expect me to do?" Lily asked in disbelief. She hated it when one of her friends got optimistic in times like these.  
  
"Well, not sulk for one thing. There has to be some way to get him back. I mean, he came after you. Not the other way around, remember?" Mary explained. Diane and Lily were now both listening and nodding.  
  
"Well, tell him that. There had to be some reason why he did that. You put a memory charm on him. Not a love spell."  
  
"But Mary. I was the first person he saw, remember? Plus I was the one who put the charm on him and who knows what else I threw in there." Lily said hopelessly.  
  
"Lily you two loved each other. I don't care how much he hates you now. If it was true love, it's going to happen again. If it wasn't then consider yourself saved from a lifetime of Potter."  
  
Lily and Diane stared at her for a minute and then suddenly laughed.  
  
"Well I guess I should consider myself saved then." Lily said with a giggle.  
  
"If you want to look at it that way." Mary said grinning.  
  
"Lily, who would honestly want to spend a lifetime with him. I barely lasted a month!" Diane exclaimed  
  
The three girls started laughing, cracking jokes about the infamous James Potter. Soon they couldn't understand how Lily had actually put up with that boy for a few weeks. The laughter continued and Lily discovered that for once humor was the best medicine.

* * *

"Remus what are you doing?" Sirius asked coming lazily into the Boys Dormitory.  
  
"I'm gathering up all the galleons I won from the bet last night." Remus said dumping them all into a bag.  
  
"Uh okay."  
  
Remus picked up the bag and made to leave the room. But Sirius asked him where he was going with it.  
  
"I'm going to give it to Lily. That way there she and James will stop fighting." Remus said. Sirius shrugged not knowing how money would be able to solve the problem but there was really nothing else to do.  
  
Remus didn't get within two feet of the Girl's Dormitory before Mary came running out looking as if she had just seen a ghost. She latched herself onto Remus and stared up at him with a petrified expression.  
  
"Help me!" She yelped racing behind him as if to hide from someone.  
  
"What's wrong?" Remus asked pulling her close to him.  
  
Mary began to say something but suddenly the door to the Girl's Dormitory opened. Mary squeaked and raced behind him, trying to hide from Diane and Lily who were standing in the doorway with evil grins on their faces. They were up to something, and apparently it had something to do with scaring Mary.  
  
"Don't let them get me! I'm not letting them touch a hair on my head!" She shrieked using Remus as a human shield.  
  
Lily and Diane turned to each other and started laughing.  
  
"What's going on here?" Remus asked.  
  
"Nothing, we were just going to-" Lily began.  
  
"They were going to give me a makeover." Mary shrieked. Remus felt her shiver behind him as Lily and Diane started laughing again. Remus couldn't help but grin.  
  
"No, you don't know them. They're, they're, I'm not letting them touch me with a wand, make up, scissors or even a comb for that matter." Mary exclaimed pointing at them.  
  
"Mary it's not a death sentence." Diane said smiling innocently.  
  
"Don't let them touch me Remus!" She said diving behind him once more.  
  
"Don't be such a wimp." Lily laughed.  
  
"Oh come on Mary. Please!" Diane said giving Mary a pleading look.  
  
"NO WAY!" Mary said. She stomped down the staircase dragging Remus with her. Lily and Diane trailed after her, begging and pleading over Remus' head. Even though Remus found it very amusing, Lily and Diane were beginning to irritate him and Mary was as stubborn as could be.  
  
"She looks beautiful just the way she is. No makeover is necessary." He said grinning. Mary beamed up at him linking arms with him. Diane and Lily became sour and tossing glares their way they started back up to the Girl's Dormitory.  
  
"There's always Taylor!" Diane squealed.  
  
Mary wiped her forehead in relief. She turned to Remus once they were finally out of sight.  
  
"Thanks. I appreciate it. But you didn't have to lie." She said dropping onto the couch.  
  
"I didn't lie." He said quietly sitting down beside her. Mary grinned and rewarded him with a brief kiss.  
  
"You're good at flattery. Keep that in mind." She said winking. Just then she noticed the money.  
  
"What's this?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Oh that, that's my plan. I'm going to give Lily back the money so that she and James will make up." Remus said proudly. Mary shook her head sadly.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked her for the third time that day.  
  
Mary took his hand in hers. Her eyes were sad.  
  
"Remus that won't work. I don't think there's anything that is going to work for those two, other then a miracle." She whispered.  
  
"Why?" He asked.  
  
Mary told him the story, the real reason that Lily and James were fighting. She told him about what happened in detention and then she explained to him how James had lost his memory. It had been nothing but an act. But somehow Lily had fallen in love with him despite the situation. When she finished she looked away staring into the dancing flames of the fire.  
  
"So that's it." He said breathlessly.  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Well look on the bright side of things. That means that it's you and me and Sirius and Diane in the running for Hogwarts Best Couple." He said.  
  
Mary couldn't help but smile at his joke.

* * *

It was the following afternoon and James Potter was sitting up in his hospital bed. He was calmly staring out the window, looking perfectly normal, almost bored in a way. Despite the quiet manner, he was actually planning a clever scheme. His plan was to bring Lily Evans down. Well that was if he could think of anything.  
  
He was having difficulty coming up with anything that seemed right for Evans. Maybe he should just kill her. A part of him went cold at the thought, protesting strongly against the idea. Besides he'd have to go to Azkaban. James went back to his memories, sorting through the best pranks they had used on Snape or the Slytherins. But apparently all the better ones had already been saved for Evans, meaning she already knew what to expect and so those were no good either.  
  
He knew there was plenty he could do to her, but why was his mind coming up with a blank all of a sudden? Lately his mind had been acting rather weird on him, ever since he had woken up he kept thinking of Evans as pretty and wanting to do things to her that had nothing to do with hatred. James didn't want to think about it. Hastily he pushed these thoughts away blaming it on the symptoms of the medication and possibly some of the effects of the spell Lily had put on him that was currently wearing off.  
  
Think Pranks, he told himself.  
  
Madam Pomfrey had her suspicions. She believed that this was one kid that should not leave the safety of the Infirmary. She didn't want to have to witness another angry James and felt it best that he be quarantined from the rest of the Hogwarts population.  
  
She believed that James might be suffering from a muggle problem known as "anger-management". Unfortunately Dumbledore didn't feel the same way.  
  
"James has already stayed in the hospital wing for 2 days. I think it's time you release him." He said reasonably.  
  
"You see Dumbledore I really don't think he should be released." Madam Pomfrey said wringing her hands. Dumbledore looked up waiting for him to continue.  
  
"I um think he has a rare disease that can't be cured until I er, perform this spell and that uh spell takes a week to perform." She was stuttering giving herself away but Dumbledore allowed her to continue, eyes twinkling in amusement.  
  
"What disease?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Er, I believe that James has the Red Head Temper Disease." Madam Pomfrey said.  
  
"James has black hair."  
  
"Well that doesn't mean he could have caught it from someone."  
  
Dumbledore had smiled and almost laughed. He had left and then had returned the next hour. Each hour Madam Pomfrey came up with a new excuse to keep James Potter in the hospital wing.  
  
"He had a cousin three times removed married to his uncle's sister that had the Pink Death."  
  
"Wasn't it the Black Death?"  
  
"No this is the pink death. It can be caught from er, fluffy pink ummmm." Dumbledore had left before she could continue.  
  
"I believe that he has the Purple Sneaker Disease."  
  
"I believe that he has brain damage."  
  
"I believe that he has been influenced by the wrong type of people."  
  
"I believe that he has been brain washed."  
  
Madam Pomfrey's imagination was wearing out. She didn't have that great of one in the first place.  
  
"I award you on your imaginative efforts." Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling when he finally returned.  
  
"Now, though, it is time for James to be released since he has clearly recovered from all of these diseases." Dumbldore said gesturing to James.  
  
"He has a rare form of Alzheimers!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed in a last effort. Her imagination clearly was not turned on. She was on the other hand, actually on the right track unknowingly.  
  
"James' memory is in excellent condition." Dumbledore said growing tired of the game.  
  
James had paled slightly.  
  
"If you won't release him. Then I will have too." Dumbledore said.  
  
Madam Pomfrey didn't say anything.  
  
"Then James you are released." Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing.  
  
James grinned and quickly changed into his clothes. Finally he could go after that Evans girl. He couldn't be happier. It seemed ages since he had last pulled a prank. And this one, from what he already had planned was going to be unbelievable, well it would be as soon as he started planning. He reached into his pocket and felt for his wand, only to find nothing. Madam Pomfrey probably had it, he thought shrugging.  
  
Madam Pomfrey was waiting by the door, watching him suspiciously. There was something very wrong with that boy. She couldn't put her finger on it. Whatever it was, she could be sure that it would lead to trouble. A smiling (slightly smug) James came striding over to her.  
  
"May I have my wand?" He asked politely.  
  
"Wand?" Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Isn't it in your pocket dear?" She asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to lose your wand! Dear me child, you are going to be in some serious trouble. Such a forgetful boy you are! Kids these days, they expect us to do everything for them. They're not responsible."  
  
James left ignoring the lecture that she had just launched into. He must have left in the dormitory. It's not time to panic yet, he told himself.  
  
If only he knew, exactly what Lily Evans had planned.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to my wonderful reviewers, as always I would never have continued posting this if it wasn't for your encouragement.  
**  
**Granger-gurl-rox**: Lily's crushed, but she's hiding it well. James on the other hand, part of him wants to murder her, but then again there's another part of him that thinks differently. Thanks for the review!  
  
**Agloechen:** I know what you mean. When I read other people's stories I go crazy if they don't have the two characters together yet. I love the ideas! But um, this story's already prewritten. But don't worry about it, it all works out in the end, I promise!  
  
**J.E.A.R.K.Potter**: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the chapter.  
  
**Spawn32818**: Yeah, I had to make James remember eventually. Hehe, you'll see what Lily does to get James back. She doesn't know what kind of power she has over James just yet. I hope you liked this chapter!  
  
**Nikki:** Sorry about that. It had to happen. cringes But don't worry it all works out in the end, I promise! Thanks for the review.  
  
**Mione-xavier**: Look, I updated in a day! How's that for quick. Unfortunately James can be a real jerk to Lily, and unfortunately we haven't seen the end of that side of him just yet. Thanks again for reviewing.  
  
**TearsOfBlueFlames**: James will like Lily again, it just might take a while. Thanks for the review.  
  
**Sleepy.cat.zzz**: I know they were cute together, I'm sorry I had to break them up. Thanks for the review  
  
**Animalluvr75**: I updated! Aren't you proud of me! I know this chapter isn't as great as the last one but I promise it gets better! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
**Truth**: Thank you! Yes James is a complete idiot, typical guy. I know what you mean, heart break should be banned from the English language. It stinks. But Lily's strong, right now...but we all know that she wants James and well she might crumble later on. Thanks for reviewing again!  
  
**shortiibabi:** Thank you, I think one other person told me that. One of the main reasons why I actually started posting this story on was because I thought it was original. If it hadn't been for that this story would have probably never gotten here. Thanks!  
  
**Ckrfan**: I know James is beyond pissed, he's murderous. But don't worry Lily does explain it to him eventually and proves that its not entirely her fault. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
**Next chapter will be out by the 4th hopefully. Until then, Adios!**


	18. Close Encounters

**Author's Note:** **Ahhh! Sorry I'm 4 or 5 days late. I was expecting to be back earlier, but then something happened which led to one thing and then to another and so I didn't get back until today. I'm thinking about writing a transition chapter. I'm not sure though... I wrote this over a year ago. I'll think about it. **

**Sorry tried to upload yesterday but ff wouldn't let me. Oh well, it's back up now. Sorry you had to wait an extra day. **

**Next Update: Sometime this week hopefully, before the weekend. Probably Thursday.**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 18: Close Encounters  
**  
Lily was finishing up some Transfiguration homework up in the Girls Dormitory. Diane and Mary were somewhere and Taylor was out fooling around with that Prewett boy. Lily was glad that for once she had some peace and quiet. Yesterday and this morning Mary, Diane and even Taylor for the most part, had followed her around, thinking she might break into tears at any moment. She wasn't fragile. It was only one guy, James Potter for that matter. They had gone out for less then a month. And he was her enemy. It was silly for her to actually think she had been head over heels for that boy, let alone cry for him. She had promised herself that she would never cry over heart break, unless they were dead, hurt or bleeding. And so far Lily Evans had kept that promise.  
  
Lily sat up and stretched, her arms aching from being in the same position for so long. The Transfiguration homework was finally done. In fact now that she thought of it, all of her homework was done. What was she going to do now? Lily got up off the bed and walked toward the window. But before she got there she stopped beside her friend's bedside.  
  
On the table beside Diane's bed was a wand. She reached for it, realizing that it was not hers, Diane's, or Mary's. When they were younger they had learned how to identify their wands after mixing them up once or twice. It wasn't Taylor's because Taylor had locked Mary in a closet before going off to find her Ravenclaw sweet heart. Apparently Mary had been teasing her about it, because somehow Mary had found herself locked in a closet. Jenn's? No, her wand had been taken in for examination after the incident.  
  
Aha! It had to be Sirius! Lily smirked twirling it within her fingertips. One word came to her mind.....black-mail!

* * *

"I'm going to go check on Lily. She hasn't come outside of the Dormitory all day." Diane said to Sirius.  
  
"Oh okay. I'll see you around." Sirius said grinning mischievously. Diane chuckled and pecked him on the cheek. Before he could protest or beg for something more she had left him.  
  
Diane entered the Girl's Dormitory. She was about to close the door behind her when Taylor came running in. She slammed the door shut and leaned against the door breathing heavily.  
  
"Uh hello Taylor." Diane said raising an eyebrow.  
  
"One minute." Taylor said gasping to catch her breath.  
  
There were footsteps on the stairs and suddenly someone began pounding on the door.  
  
"TAYLOR!" Someone yelled on the other side. It was Mary. Diane laughed and Taylor paled.  
  
"I'M GOING TO CURSE YOU!" Mary yelled. She tried the doorknob and to her surprise it opened. Taylor cringed and moved aside as Mary stepped in. She had forgotten to lock it.  
  
"So what's all this about. Does it have to do with Mary somehow ending up in a closet this morning?" Diane asked.  
  
"As a matter of fact it does." Mary said glaring at Taylor.  
  
"I did not lock you in a closet. Why would I do such a thing?" Taylor said innocently.  
  
"Oh don't pull that crap with me." Mary said angrily.  
  
"Hey guys! I see you're all getting along nicely." Lily said jumping off the bed and stepping into view.  
  
"Yeah, that's us!" Diane said sarcastically.  
  
"Did Mary get up on the wrong side of Remus' bed?" Lily asked laughing.  
  
Mary threw a curse at her, but missed by at least a foot.  
  
"Don't talk like that. It's all her fault." Mary said pointing a finger at Taylor who was smiling innocently.  
  
"Me?" Taylor asked.  
  
"Yes! How would you like to be locked in a closet for two hours!" Mary stamped her foot.  
  
"Two hours!?" Lily asked in disbelief. Mary nodded.  
  
Diane snorted and Lily giggled. Taylor smiled sheepishly.  
  
"You were asking for it." Taylor laughed.  
  
"Next time lock Remus in there with her, and you won't hear a peep." Diane remarked.  
  
Mary rolled her eyes.  
  
"My friends have gone against me." She moaned.  
  
"You seemed to like closets just fine before.... oh wait, was that cupboards. Or maybe it was only broom closets she liked." Diane said pretending to think.  
  
"Cut it out!" Mary groaned.  
  
"Okay, okay!" Diane laughed.  
  
"I'll get you back later!" Mary said rounding on Taylor.  
  
"Speaking of blackmail." Lily said bringing up the topic.  
  
"Blackmail, who said anything about blackmail?" Mary asked.  
  
"Wait a second..... thanks for the idea Lily!" Mary grinned mischievously and Taylor's grin faltered.  
  
"As I was saying...." Lily was grinning, looking straight at Diane.  
  
"Whatever happened. It wasn't me!" Diane said throwing up her hands.  
  
"Well you see I found this wand. And I think it may belong to Sirius Black. But how in Merlin's name did it end up on Diane's table in the Girls Dormitory?" Lily asked sweetly. She dug into her pocket and pulled out the wand. Instantly Diane and Mary's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Taylor looked confused and Lily grinned evilly.  
  
"That's not, it's not, it's not Sirius'." Diane stuttered.  
  
"It isn't?" Lily looked confused now, she turned it over in her hands examining it.  
  
"It's..." Diane clasped a hand over Mary's mouth before she could continue.  
  
Lily Evans continued to turn it over in her hands. She had seen this wand before, several times actually. But who did it belong to?  
  
She had no idea that the wand she held belonged to her former nemesis.

* * *

Speaking of the devil...  
  
James Potter took the stairs two at a time. He couldn't wait to start putting together his prank, as soon as he thought of it. He was sure that Remus and Sirius would want in, especially after learning about what that witch had done to him. They were always up to a prank no matter what the occasion was.  
  
He came to the landing. The door was wide open, but James stopped himself. Sirius and Remus were having a conversation in the Dormitory. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to eavesdrop.  
  
"Sirius I'm not lying!" That was Remus' voice.  
  
"I'm not saying you're lying. But really? That's kind of unbelievable, a memory charm?" Sirius was speaking now.  
  
"That's what Mary told me." Remus said.  
  
"She couldn't pull that off. That's not a first year spell. And besides you mean to tell me that it's all over and that James no longer likes-"  
  
"Miss me?"  
  
Sirius and Remus spun around. James Potter was standing in the doorway of the Boys Dormitory, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Uh...hello James." Remus stuttered.  
  
"Don't sound too happy to see me." James said frowning. He walked into the room and went straight over to his bed.  
  
"Well we uh er were just not expecting you back so soon. It's kind of a shock." Remus continued wondering how much he heard.  
  
"Remus I didn't make any sense of what you two were talking about." James said leaning over his bed and reaching for his trunk.  
  
"We weren't talking about anything." Sirius said sending a glare in Remus' direction.  
  
"Sure you weren't." James chuckled. He was now looking through his trunk searching for something.  
  
"What are you looking for Prongs?" Sirius asked him raising an eyebrow.  
  
"My wand." James replied.  
  
Sirius coughed loudly and Remus' jaw dropped. They turned to each other. Diane still had it.  
  
"Hey we'll be right back James." Remus said. Sirius and Remus ran for the door. But James got there before them and blocked their path.  
  
"Not so fast. You wouldn't know what happened to my wand, would you?" He asked grinning broadly.  
  
Remus gulped and he glanced at Sirius out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"No we know absolutely nothing." Sirius said shaking his head.  
  
"You're a terrible liar." James laughed.  
  
Sirius sighed and sat back down on the bed. Remus on the other hand was not prepared to give in.  
  
"We really don't know." Remus retorted.  
  
James glared at him and Remus cowered under his gaze. He was forgetting that James didn't have his wand with him.  
  
"We don't know but the girls do." Remus said finally submitting.  
  
"Thanks guys, you're such a great help. Always honest with me." James winked and left the room. Sirius and Remus breathed a sigh of a relief.  
  
Suddenly James poked his head back in the doorway.  
  
"Why is my wand with the girls?" James asked puzzled.  
  
Remus shrugged and for once James didn't pry any further. He left for the Girl's Dormitory and Sirius and Remus were left to ponder over what was going to happen next.  
  
"Now do you believe me?" Remus asked Sirius loudly.  
  
"A little. It just seems so weird." Sirius trailed off. "Does this mean that James is going after Lily?" He asked Remus.  
  
"Oh no! He's going to hurt her." Remus opened the door and they ran out.  
  
"Hurt her, if this had happened to me I would probably kill her." Sirius said as they rushed toward the dormitory. James was already there knocking.  
  
"You're not helping matters." Remus said frowning.  
  
"What it's the truth!" Sirius exclaimed throwing up his hands.  
  
"We're supposed to be optimistic. Think positive thoughts." Remus stated hopefully.  
  
"James Potter is looking for his wand, Lily Evans practically took advantage of him, and James is ready to kill. This is not a time for positive thoughts this is a time to stop a murder from happening." Sirius retorted.  
  
"Then again...." Sirius trailed off as they stopped at the scene before them. The Girl's Dormitory was open and through the open doorway they could see inside. Mary, Diane and Lily were facing James who had suddenly gone red in the face and had his hands balled into fists.  
  
"....Lily could be doing the murdering instead."  
  
Lily Evans was holding James Potter's wand.  
  
"Give - Me - Back - My - Wand." James was so furious that he could hardly speak. He was gritting his teeth and looked like he was the one with the red head temper.  
  
Lily paused and looked up. Her green eyes were unreadable. She glanced at the wand in her hands and then took her time looking back up at James. Suddenly she smirked her green eyes twinkling with mischief.  
  
"Oh this is _your_ wand." She said casually.  
  
"Yes, I need it back!" James said angrily.  
  
"Sorry what was that?" Lily pretended like she hadn't heard.  
  
"Evans, Give me back my wand." James was getting dangerous.  
  
Lily unfortunately didn't take heed of the warning signs. She was basically in control of the situation or at least that's what she thought. Remus, Sirius, Diane and Mary were panicking and had their wands out. They weren't sure which one would go down first, Lily or James.  
  
"_My_ Wand!" James spat unable to form a sentence due to anger.  
  
"Yes James I know this is _your_ wand." Lily replied.  
  
James wanted to murder her. He could easily grab Sirius', Remus' wand or one of the girls in a second. But for some strange reason he just wanted Lily to give him back his own.  
  
"EVANS I WANT MY WAND BACK!" James shouted.  
  
Everyone flinched. They had never heard James yell like that. Lily on the other hand was perfectly calm and regarding him with her still twinkling green eyes. Her stubbornness was beginning to show.  
  
"I need the magic word...." She said quietly twirling the wand between her fingertips.  
  
"GIVE ME BACK MY WAND!" James yelled taking a step toward her so that they were only a foot apart.  
  
His brown eyes looked into her green and for a moment there was a funny feeling in his stomach. Her eyes were still twinkling with mischief and she was grinning.  
  
"Please." He said quietly.  
  
Lily held his gaze for a moment. He was entranced by her brilliant sparkling green eyes. Momentarily he thought of kissing her or stroking his cheek. Suddenly he wanted to touch her, not strangle her. With one simple glance she had calmed the raging anger.  
  
But she wasn't going to give it back. This was Lily Evans she was cruel, she was mean. She had him beneath her spell and was a witch she was...  
  
"Here." Lily held out the wand to him.  
  
James stared at it suspiciously. Was this a trap? Lily wasn't smiling but she wasn't angry either. She almost looked sad in a way. Cautiously he reached out and grabbed it. Their hands touched briefly. He felt a tingling run up his arm. Their eyes met and hurriedly they looked away. He took it from her quickly not wanting to know what had just happened.  
  
Breathing heavily he glared at her and then turned on heel and left the room. As he reached the doorway he looked back. Everyone was staring at the two of them in shock. But Lily was just staring after him with that sad almost longing expression on her face. And James, somewhere in the depths of his heart, found out that the feeling was mutual. Scared, he left at a run, and locked himself in the Boys Dormitory.  
  
"Are you okay Lily?" Diane asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah." She said softly. Her eyes finally left the doorway where James had just been. She found the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh.  
  
"James nearly killed you." Sirius said blinking.  
  
"She could've easily killed him." Mary retorted.  
  
"James was madder. Did you see how red he got? I've never seen him that angry before and he actually yelled!" Sirius argued.  
  
"But you're forgetting that Lily had two wands and he had nothing." Mary commented.  
  
"Yeah but James can use wandless magic." Sirius blurted out.  
  
"What?" Mary asked.  
  
Remus shot Sirius a dark glare as all three of the girls looked at Sirius with surprise.  
  
"Just forget I said anything. I was -er- joking." Sirius chuckled and made a run for the door but Mary grabbed him and dragged him back.  
  
"Can he really?" Diane asked timidly.  
  
"Yes." Sirius admitted.  
  
"Wow." Mary murmured.  
  
"I never knew that. You'd think we'd notice it." Diane muttered.  
  
"He never usually uses it. Remus and I are the only ones who know other then his family, Dumbledore and some of the staff." Sirius said guiltily.  
  
"Funny, I would've thought Lily would notice something like that. After all they're always fighting, you'd think he'd slip up at least one of these times." Mary remarked.  
  
"No, he's never used it on me. This is the first I've heard of it." Lily replied speaking for the first time. She had a far away look in her eyes.  
  
The room was silent for a long time. There was more to James Potter then anyone had expected.  
  
"We better go back and make sure James doesn't have any second thoughts. Lily you shouldn't have given him back his wand if you treasured your life." Remus said.  
  
Lily smiled at this.  
  
"It's my fault this all happened. I don't blame him. I'm surprised I haven't woken up in the grave." She said softly.  
  
"Just wait a few days for him to get rolling, you might get within a few feet of the grave." Sirius muttered as they exited.  
  
"I heard that!" Lily exclaimed.

* * *

James Potter leaned against the door with his eyes shut. He reached up and ran a hand through his unruly hair and tossed his wand onto his bed. Why did she give it back to him? Why did she look at him in that way? Why did he feel so out of place as if there was something he was trying to hide? Why didn't he just blast her there while he had the chance? Why had he felt that way, why was he so... scared?  
  
He slid down the door and dropped to a sitting position. He stared at the floor wondering what was wrong with him. He had been so angry only minutes before, ready to blast Lily Evans to smithereens and now all of a sudden he was calm.... almost... he couldn't describe it. Lily Evans had took advantage of him, he had hated her for nearly 7 years and they had gotten into more fights then he could think of. You name it, they had had a fight over it. But now all of a sudden, he looked into his eyes and he was suddenly calm? He had even done as he was told. It was almost as if the hatred had been shut off, but it was more then that. James Potter didn't even want to go there.  
  
She had to be controlling him. Just like a veela (no Lily Evans is not PRETTY stop thinking like that!), not a veela but some sort of creature on that line. She was able to control him with her eyes. Yes, that had to be it. It wasn't him, he wasn't falling in(gulp) he couldn't say that word. James slammed his head into the door at the mere thought of it. It was so horrible. She was just her regular old mean self and she had cooked up some scheme to control him. Well, Lily Evans better watch out, because he was determined to fight the spell she had him under.  
  
He grinned. Lily Evans would never know what hit her. Remus and Sirius were banging on the door but James hardly heard them. He leaned back against the door and began planning his "great prank". He couldn't wait to see how humiliated Lily Evans would be.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to my wonderful reviewers, I couldn't have done this without you!**

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter:** No need to worry, Hazel's late as usual. Thanks for reviewing, as always!

**Granger-gurl-rox:** No prank yet, but there was sort of an argument between them. Not a big one though. There's more coming unfortunately and a prank or two. You'll see! Thanks for reviewing.

**Misakichi1:** Gee thanks! Sorry the updates a little late, thanks for reviewing.

**Lilchocolatechip011:** I would hate to be Lily too, and they do make a wonderful couple. About the whole James/Jenn thing, keep that in mind. It will be important. Yep my story's different. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing I have no idea. Thanks for reviewing!

**Spawn32818:** Yeah, I got a little bored and I must have been eating candy or something because I started making up diseases for my own amusement. When I reread this story I laughed through the whole thing, I have no idea what made me write some things like that. Thanks for reviewing!

**Luna Lovegood:** Your English is perfect. Unlike me, I've taken what 4 years of Espanol and I couldn't even talk to a 3 year old kid when I went to Aruba. Lily doesn't deserve any of it, but she knew what kind of danger she was getting into. And loves all about taking risky chances. To be honest I haven't really decided what kind of spell Lily threw at James, she just got so mad that a whole bunch of stuff flew out at him but let's stick to the memory charm theory. It makes no sense, but hey. Thanks for reviewing!

**Agloechen:** Lily didn't do anything to James on purpose, it just sort of happened that she found his wand there. Don't worry about the whole fighting thing, Lily and James might not get back together right away, but things have changed since the last time they were enemies. Thanks again for reviewing!

**Truth: **I agree, reviews are difficult to write. I sit there for ten to twenty minutes and I end up writing two words. But I love getting reviews, and I appreciate every single one of them. I don't think I could stop writing even if I had wanted too, one of the curses a writer is born with. Thanks for reviewing again!

**Animalluvr75:** Oops, sorry this ones a few days late. It was out of my control but if I had had my choice I would've updated on the 4th. Thanks for reviewing, I appreciate it!

**Firefur1:** Never fear they will get together...eventually. I promise though they are going too. Sorry it's late again! Thanks for reviewing!

**Amelia Bedelia:** Oops, I'm sorry but I had to do it, I had to make him hate her it was all part of the plot! I love the idea that you had. But I think everyone would kill me and refuse to read the story ever again if I did that. Well at least that's what my other readers did, tough crowd. So you don't have to worry about that. At least I don't think. Thanks for reviewing, I was wondering if you had dropped off the face off the earth and then I remembered that the disappearing act was my job. Sorry this is late again. I have to go through my e-mails, I swear I'm signed up for every pop up/spam/virus ad there ever was. Don't you hate them! Thanks again for reviewing, I love reading the reviews!

**Through Darkness:** Yeah it's not Canon, whoops. I should put an AU sign at the start or something, but oh well. And it is during their 7th year though I think that I wrote that they were 16 somewhere in the beginning. Stupid Hazel. I better fix that some day. I'm glad you like the story, and thanks for reviewing.

**Mrs. ProfessorLupin:** Sorry it's late! I tried I really did, but then things came up and well it's a long story. Thanks for the review!

**Serb4c: **I think I will. I'm glad you loved the chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

**Evil Scratching Post:** Hehe, Lily planned absolutely nothing, but obviously she was in the right place at the right time. I hoped you liked the chapter thanks for the review!

**LCH8292: **I know it's so confusing. I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reviewing!

**Elise:** Thank you! I hope I'm able to live up to those standards one day. I appreciate the compliment and thanks for reviewing!

**Smoosebob:** James is becoming a madman. You didn't miss anything as I'm sure you figured out. Yeah the Hogsmeade chapters were some of my favorites especially the ones with Sirius and Diane. I was a little stunned at how romantic Sirius was too, and I was the author. Thanks for reviewing!

**Twistedtwin:** I'll have to thank your friend. I'm glad you like it, sorry this chapter is a little late! Thanks for the review!

**Catnap713:** Oops I should have made that more clear. It was the 4th of August. But I ran into some problems so here it is 5 days late. Sorry, thanks for reviewing!

**Thanks everyone, I'll be updating before the weekend. Probably Thursday!**


	19. Predictable

**Author's Note: I'm updating again! Go Hazel. Umm I decided not to write a filler chapter. I like this chapter just the way it is, it'll work for me. I just went through and edited a little. It's sort of dumb, let's just put it this way I still have no idea what was going on in my head, or if anything was going on at all in there when I wrote this chapter and the next chapter. I love some parts, but other parts, well you guys can be the judge, I'm sure you'll be able to pick them out right away. **

**Guess what! I also started writing the ending to this story after a month of writers block! And after I post this I'm going to continue writing it, perhaps even finish it. My eyes were tearing up as I was writing it. I'm not sure if it was because A. I never am able to finish stories or B. I've been working on this story since August 20th 2002 and it's shockingly depressing to be finishing it or C. I love it and I'm not sure when I'll get as lucky again as I did on this one or D. There was something in my eye. Or E. Perhaps maybe the ending really is sad. No comment though. And now I am going to shut up now because no one reads this anyway.**

**Cursed **

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 19: Predictable**  
  
It was a sunny day, perfect for flying or taking walks around the lake with that someone you adored. James Potter stared longingly at the brilliant sky, wishing he had his broomstick with him. Then perhaps he could soar out of the stuffy Divination room up in the top of the North Tower. He couldn't stand the suffocating air that surrounded him and the heat was unbearable. He was just beginning to think about how nice it would be if he had a beautiful red head by his side, her hand in his, her green eyes looking into his...  
  
"MR.POTTER!"  
  
James snapped out of his thoughts. The old Divination Professor, Professor Coicindence was standing up in front of the fire. All four feet three inches of her was viciously glaring at him. Her short white hair was sticking up in all directions, and her glasses were askew. Her turban had been knocked off and was now roasting in the fire. James stifled a grin. The effects of his latest prank were finally noticeable.  
  
"I suppose you might be able to explain to us why a BOOK ATTACKED ME!" She screeched sounding like a banshee.  
  
The class started snickering again. Even Lily Evans was trying hard to stifle a grin. James tried hard to keep a straight face but now the Divination Book (The Bible For False Fortune Tellers) was now fluttering about her head. She was unaware of the fact that it was right behind her and was trying to figure out how many detentions she should give to James Potter. It was at that moment that the Book attacked, whacking her in the back of the head.  
  
She whirled around, momentarily taking her eyes off of James. Sirius yawned and flicked his wand. The book began circling around the old Lady's head causing her to move in every direction trying to follow its movements. Her eyeballs were spinning, and she was getting dizzy. It was quite an amusing sight.   
  
"This is way too easy." Sirius grumbled though he was grinning. James punched his friend lightly getting his attention.   
  
"Watch this." James said. He raised his wand and suddenly the teacups from the cabinet went soaring toward the Professor.  
  
"ME TEACUPS!" She screeched, her expression dazed but extremely angry. She jumped in the air trying to reach her "precious" teacups to no success. Her attempts were fruitless and the teacups remained hovering just out of reach for the tiny professor while The Bible for False Fortune Tellers snapped at her and flew this way and that. The class was laughing uncontrollably.

"I can do better." Sirius remarked casually.  
  
"Really?" James asked wondering what Sirius had in mind.  
  
Sirius glanced lazily around the room until he found what he was looking for. He raised his wand and instantly the Professors favorite Crystal Ball (The one that showed you what to tell your students PART OF THE FALSE FORTUNE TELLER SERIES) came flying toward him. It landed in front of him and James. Sirius grinned and after a moments thought he pointed the wand at the Crystal Ball.  
  
Suddenly the Crystal Ball was no longer there, in its place was a muggle "magic" eight ball. The Professor forgot about her precious teacups and the book that was repeatedly whacking her on the head. She stared at where her Crystal Ball had once been.  
  
"My, my Crystal Ball! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO IT!???" It was like losing a child to her. She ran forward but somehow she tripped over the rug.  
  
"Tell us oh Magic Eight Ball...." Sirius chanted imitating the Professor. He bowed down to the table pressing his forehead against the wood. Then he slowly raised his head did a funny hand gesture and exaggerated some of the things the Professor usually did when predicting.  
  
"Oh holy Eight Ball. I have but one question for you." He paused dramatically. Even the teacher was confused. Lily was one of the few that recognized the Eight Ball.  
  
"Is our teacher a fake?" He proceeded to pick up the eight ball and shake it. Everyone thought he was crazy now, except for Lily. Who actually understood something for once that no one else did. Sirius called for the class, urging them to gather around him. Perplexed they stared at the tiny box waiting for something.  
  
_Yes_   
  
The Professor fainted. The class gasped, not understanding that it was only an Eight Ball. They stared and poked and prodded it, regarding it like some sacred object.  
  
"I want to ask the Holy Eight Ball something. May I Sirius? Oh please do let me. I need the Holy Eight Balls answers." A Ravenclaw girl pleaded.  
  
"Yes, can I go after her?"  
  
"Please Sirius I'll do anything!"  
  
Soon everyone wanted a turn with the "Holy" Eight Ball. Lily alone sat in the back of the classroom, snickering.

"Lily you have to try this thing!" Mary exclaimed staring in awe as the Eight Ball answered another question.  
  
"No, that's okay. I don't think I should approach such a sacred object." Lily was laughing by this point. Mary shrugged it off and went back to the Eight Ball and Sirius with the rest of the class. Sirius was basking in the glory. Lily was giggling and everyone else was astounded by the Eight Balls incredible ability.  
  
"Amazing."   
  
"Wow."  
  
"Ooooohhhhh."   
  
"Aaaaahhhhh."  
  
"How does it do that?"

"You're really missing out Lily! This thing is amazing!" Taylor exclaimed as she passed the eight ball onto someone else.  
  
Lily couldn't answer she was trying hard to control her laughter. Sirius grabbed the "magic" Eight Ball from a Ravenclaw Boy and began shaking it.  
  
"Does Diane adore me because I'm so irresistible?" He held the eight ball waiting for the reply. Diane rolled her eyes.  
  
_On your good Days_  
  
"What kind of answer is that?" He asked shaking it again.  
  
_Maybe_   
  
Sirius shook it again.  
  
_Perhaps._  
  
"I'll accept that." Sirius said satisfied. Everyone was trying to grab the Eight Ball from him, especially James who wanted to examine it. He had suspicions that it might be a muggle artifact. Sirius jumped out of their way taking the Eight Ball with him. He grinned mischievously.  
  
"Will Lily and James fall hopelessly in love and get married?" Sirius shook the "Holy" Eight Ball waiting for its reply.  
  
Lily had woken up and was now no longer laughing. James was furious and was looking for his wand in his pocket, which for some reason he couldn't find. But it was no big deal it would probably end up saying no.  
  
_Yes Definitely_   
  
"What give me that back!" James cried grabbing it before anyone else could take it. He pulled it toward him and began shaking it violently. He repeated the question. Lily stumbled over to him, trying to see what the answer would be. Some more people gathered around in curiosity.  
  
_Yes_  
  
"No." He started shaking it again.  
  
_Yes Definitely_  
  
"I will get married to another women and never fall in love with Lily unless it's part of a nightmare!"  
  
_No_  
  
"Then that means I won't marry Lily or fall in love with her." James refused to give up the Eight Ball.  
  
_You will fall hopelessly in love with her again and marry her. Your son will save the world._

"Liar!" James tossed the Eight Ball carelessly and Lily caught it expertly. That was not a normal eight ball answer. But already the lettering had faded away. Trembling Lily shook the Eight Ball.  
  
"James Potter will not fall in love with me. We will not get married." Lily said loudly.  
  
_Lily and James Potter will bring forth a son to the world who will save them from the darkness._  
  
"I'm dreaming." Lily blinked a few times and shook it again. She was determined to prove that this was wrong.  
  
"James Potter will not marry me. We will not have kids and we will most certainly not fall in love!" She said angrily to it shaking it violently.   
  
The same message appeared. James was peering over her shoulder from a few feet away.  
  
"I won't let it happen!" Lily exclaimed in frustration.  
  
"Not on my life!" James agreed with her for the first time in their seven years. They turned to each other briefly then Lily went back to shaking the Eight Ball. She waited for the answer.  
  
_You cannot change your destiny._  
  
Lily's hands trembled. She dropped the Eight Ball to the floor stepping away from it. It bounced once and then transformed back into the Crystal Ball. Lily fell back onto the chair shaking uncontrollably. Everyone stared, first at Lily and then they turned to where the "Holy" "magic" Eight Ball had been. They immediately bent down on the ground mourning their loss and trying to transform the Crystal Ball back into the Eight Ball.   
  
No one noticed James and Lily exchange a brief glance. The feeling was mutual. Hastily they looked away, wanting to forget what they had seen.

The room was in a state of chaos.  
  
After sitting for a few minutes Lily felt better. She stood up and walked over to where their fallen professor lay. The tea cups had fallen when James had broken his concentration. Now she gathered up the pieces in her hand, snapped her wand and reconstructed them. No one would be able to tell the difference. The Bible For False Fortune Tellers was nipping at her hair, Lily did the counter curse and it fell silent onto the table. Next she turned to the Professor. Carefully she dragged the tiny old lady back to her chair by the fire. She propped her up against it and left her there. No one would be able to tell that anything had happened. (The Professor had three hobbies, collecting False Fortune Teller collectables, making false predictions and sleeping during classes).  
  
Everyone was leaving the classroom now, slowly trickling out of the stuffy room.  
  
"James my friend I believe I just bested you in a prank!" Sirius boasted.  
  
James muttered something incoherent and looked sulky.  
  
"What was that James, sorry I didn't hear you." Sirius waited for his reply.  
  
"Okay, you won this time. Alright, just this once you won" But Sirius was no longer listening. He was grinning basking in the glory. He sent a grin toward the Ravenclaw girls making them swoon and the Gryffindor girls scowl. Then he pranced over to his angry girlfriend and pulled her into a passionate kiss full on the lips. Blinking Diane pulled away from him.  
  
"What was that for?" She asked.  
  
"I'm better then James." Sirius merely exclaimed. Diane laughed and rolled her eyes but pulled him along with her to their next class.  
  
"Of all things I wasn't expecting Sirius to come up with a Holy Eight Ball." Lily laughed shaking her head. James stopped and waited for her.  
  
"What do you mean? This is Sirius we're talking about." He asked curiously.  
  
"Well it's just that a "magic" Eight Ball is a muggle object. You ask it questions and it replies. There's nothing sacred holy or special about it. It's just a chance of yes, no or whatever the options are. You'd think a bunch of wizards and witches would know that." She said grinning.

"Then it was just a chance of the die almost." James said pausing to think this over.  
  
"I guess you could put it that way." Lily answered.  
  
"The message then it wasn't real, right?" James asked her.  
  
"Eight Balls usually don't respond like that. I think Sirius might have enchanted it to do that." She said after a moment of thought.  
  
Relief flooded James. He was even unaware that he had just had a civilized conversation with Evans. Part of him was sad though, even though most of him was relieved. It was starting to annoy James, these half and half moods. Part of him liked Lily, while the other detested her. It was worse then hormones and moodswings especially since it involved thoughts about his enemy.  
  
"It was a hoax then?" James said glancing at her.  
  
"Yes." Lily replied.  
  
James grinned. Armed with this new information he took off after Sirius. Lily remained behind watching as he ran to catch up with his friends. She sighed.  
  
She had a funny feeling that Sirius hadn't enchanted the Eight Ball. But why then did it say that? What did it mean? Perhaps he did enchant it, because Lily could find no other logical explanation for it.  
  
"Hey Lily!"  
  
"What?"   
  
Lily snapped out of her thoughts. Taylor was waiting for her.   
  
"We've got class in three minutes in the dungeons. Are you coming or what?" She asked grinning. Lily checked her watch and realized that she was right.  
  
"Think we can make it?" Taylor asked as they started running down the halls.  
  
"Yes, we'll make it on time." Lily grinned and opened a tapestry. Taylor's jaw dropped as a secret stair way going straight down into the dungeons was revealed. Obviously she didn't usually hang around with Lily, Mary and Diane or she would know these things.  
  
"Wow." Taylor gasped.  
  
"Come on we have fifty seconds!" Lily said impatiently.  
  
"Okay I'm going!" Taylor dove down the staircase with Lily on her heels. Needless to say the two of them made their class with 2 seconds left to spare.

Lily and Taylor were shocked to find the room, completely silent. But it wasn't because they had made a grand entrance. Everyone was staring at the front of the room. Professor Tomorrow was speaking with a woman who they recognized as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Taylor and Lily exchanged a quick glance and then took their usual seats with Mary and Diane.  
  
Professor Tomorrow and the other Professor were talking or arguing judging by their animated gestures. The class was unusually quiet. They were obviously trying to eavesdrop. Unfortunately the Professor wasn't a complete idiot and had used a Silencing Charm, much to the student's disappointment.   
  
"It's a shame that we should be deprived of exercising one of our many talents." Sirius complained. Eavesdropping was a favorite extracurricular activity of his.  
  
Remus, being the werewolf had extra senses but even he couldn't penetrate the Silencing Charm.  
  
"Who invented these Silencing Shields?" Remus exclaimed frustrated.  
  
"It was probably one of your parents." Diane snorted.  
  
"Someone who was highly intelligent." Lily added.  
  
"I'm going to thank them again before going to sleep tonight." Mary said nodding in agreement.  
  
"You're just jealous of our many talents." Sirius said flashing them a grin. The girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes.  
  
"Men." Lily muttered.   
  
"Marauders." Mary said shaking her head.   
  
"Sirius." Diane groaned.  
  
"How we put up with this I'll never know. Dear Merlin Help Us." Taylor said causing them to laugh.  
  
"We should be awarded the Order of Merlin just for putting up with them for an hour." Diane snickered.  
  
"Why oh why did we get ourselves involved with those three I'll never know." Mary giggled.  
  
"I guess we're the crazy ones since we befriended them." Lily said grinning.  
  
It was the first time that she had ever referred to the Marauders as her friends. It was a day that would go down in history. Mary, Diane and Taylor could hardly control their excitement. Things were looking up.

Professor Tomorrow clapped her hands loudly. The other professor had stormed out of the classroom while they had been speaking and now only the Obsessive Potions Professor remained at the front of the room.  
  
"Who was that?" Sirius asked loudly.  
  
"That was none of Sirius' Business." Professor Tomorrow scowled.  
  
"Now if Mr. Black would kindly allow me to continue with the lesson I would like to announce to you that you will be making a very special potion today."  
  
The class proceeded to dramatically groan and moan. There was eye rolling and slamming of heads on desks.   
  
"Great." Diane said unenthusiastically.  
  
"Remember the last time she said that." Mary whispered.  
  
"How can I forget?" Diane said glancing at her cauldron.  
  
The last time the Professor had talked about "potion" and "special" in the same sentence there had been five grueling classes of work, three explosions, an essay that had to be 4 feet long, and her partner had been Peter Pettigrew. So of course her Cauldron, Peter's Cauldron, and Peter's second Cauldron had all blown up on the first day. They had had to be monitored because they destroyed so many cauldrons. Professor Tomorrow had cast a special "protection" charm on their potion in sympathy for poor Diane. It worked and there were no more explosions, just a lot of spills. There was a spill at least every ten minutes and at least one of Diane's robes was ruined beyond repair. It was a painful yet funny memory.  
  
"You will have partners of course, and I will be choosing them." She continued.  
  
"No!" Diane yelled causing everyone to look over at her.  
  
"Er - sorry. I just had a daymare." Diane said hastily, hoping the Professor wouldn't think of pairing with her with Peter again.  
  
"A daymare? Alright. Back to the partners. I will be choosing them and yes they will be boy girl." Half of the classes sunk in their seats. Next she was probably going to say that it would be Slytherin/Gryffindor pairing.

The Professor rubbed her hands together, grinning. You could tell that she really loved doing this, torturing the poor innocent souls. She began marching up and down the aisles carefully picking out the most horrible pairs.  
  
"Hmmm Peter Pettigrew you will be with Narcissa Rookwood."  
  
"What?!" Narcissa sneered regarding the sniveling rat of a boy with one of her "I'm better then everyone else" stares.  
  
"No arguing now, I make the decisions."  
  
Narcissa tried to protest, but the Professor would take no heed of her. The Gryffindors snickered at the Slytherin snob's fate.  
  
"Now Sirius Black, you will work with Severus Snape."  
  
"I AM NOT WORKING WITH SLIMY GIT OVER THERE!" Sirius protested loudly.  
  
"YOU CANNOT MAKE ME WORK WITH THAT COWARDLY GRYFFINDOR!" Snape exclaimed.  
  
"That's your problem." Professor Tomorrow said continuing her "partner picking". Wreaking havoc and setting deathtraps was a better name for it.  
  
Out of some act of Merlin, Diane was paired with Taylor and Mary was paired off with Remus. Perhaps she was being sympathetic, after what happened last time.  
  
When she came to Lily and James, well you can guess what happened next.  
  
"James Potter you will be working with Lily Evans."

**A/N: DUH DUH DUH. Hehe. I know it screams cliché. You know I think I've thrown every cliché there is in this story. The couples pairing off, the prophesy, wandless magic, the evil Potions Professor, (I hated Biology and the teacher who taught it so you really can't blame for wanting to vent through my writing.), the batty Divination Professor, (I think she might be based on two of my math teachers, but I'm not sure.), and there's still a couple of more that pop up. But I actually have a plot, yep, it came together and I was absolutely shocked at what I had done. **

**Next Update, perhaps tomorrow, or the day after I'm not sure yet. And now onto my lovely reviewers!**

**Granger-gurl-rox: **Yeah strangely enough James's prank for hasn't shown up yet. That's odd. Yep, he'll keep denying it but he loves her. Thanks for the review!

**AnG3L1c diVa-Chan: **Yay you added to me your favorites! I'm glad you like the story. Thanks for reviewing!

**Lily-Potter8: **You're right about the whole James being scared about the half that loves her. I love ideas, the only problem is that when I get them I always wish I had done that, because this whole story is already written except for the last three chapters. It's the room of requirement, I almost forgot! That is such a good idea. It's weird because after I read this I thought about adding a part like that in because there is a part when Sirius and the gang do think about it. So who knows it may or may not pop up in the future. I'm going with a memory charm, basically he forgot he was supposed to hate her and when he saw her he thought she was pretty and fell in love with her. James does remember mostly everything now. It all came back with a bang. He's just pissed off because he thinks he was under a spell the whole time when he really wasn't. Don't forget about Jenn! She is coming back but not right away. She is a very important part of the plot though. I always feel bad about delayed updates because this is prewritten, I split up all the chapters and made them smaller and I know what it's like to wait. I hope you feel better. Thanks for the review!

**Twistedtwin: **Yay!I updated before Thursday! It's Wednesday, I think. I'll have to thank Catnap713 for getting me another reader! Thanks for reviewing!

**Pasmosa: **James has a lot of things planned for Lily, including killing her, but what he actually does to her, well, you'll see. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for the review!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **Thanks Erin for reviewing like always!

**Misakichi1: **Is this update soon enough? I know Lily and James should be together, but evil authors like me are always splitting them up and making them and the readers suffer. It's so much fun. Thanks for reviewing!

**KristiexxNguyen: **That's okay. I'm really glad that you're still reading it and you decided to review this time! Thanks again!

**Amelia Bedelia: **Yes I'm evil. I'm getting back at you for not making Lily and James kiss yet even after 17 chapters in Light, though that beautiful little one shot almost made up for it. The last chapter? Well it won't be the last chapter, it will be before then, unless I decide to make a sequel, then it might be the last chapter. The last chapter I think everyone's going to hate, but don't worry Lily and James will be together. Nope James won't admit he's in love, typical Marauder, typical guy. He's in denial right now and the spell is his excuse. You know even today I still don't know how I came up with that random idea of wandless magic. You know those ideas that just drop into your head randomly and they make no sense at all and don't fit anywhere in the story, yeah it was one of those. I know it's cliché, but what isn't in this story. Secret powers? I'm intrigued. I have to e-mail you soon! You e-mailed me that picture, it was so pretty! Wish I could draw. Never heard of that show. You better update! Or else...

**Animalluvr75: **I updated earlier then I thought, that's a start! I hope you liked this chapter as well. Thanks for reviewing!

**Wackyone: **Don't worry! I haven't let anything happen to Lily, oh wait, well if you don't count making her fall in love with James, then making James remember and breaking her heart, and pairing her up with James in Potions then its still true. And there's still more to come laughs evilly I mean...of course not. Thanks for the review!

**LCH8292: **The pranks did come in they just weren't directed at Lily just yet. The next chapter has pranks too but I won't say anything more then that. Yep, in the end of this twisted fanfic they do actually end up together believe it or not. Thanks for reviewing!

**Agloechen: **Oooohhh I like that. Watch out that might end up appearing in my story. Yep James is in denial and he hasn't pranked Lily yet for some odd reason... Thanks for the review!

**That's it! Update either tomorrow or the day after, it depends on how much editing I have to do. **

**  
**


	20. Bizarre Revelations

**Author's Note:** I hope that I didn't offend anyone in this chapter. I repeat, I don't mean to OFFEND ANYONE. A number of people pointed out to me my mistake with pairing Sirius and Snape up. I wasn't really thinking when I did this, and I could have easily justified this by saying that since Jenn was missing and Taylor and Diane were paired up that there would have to be a weird paring here and there. Oddly enough I don't think anyone caught that before. But I thank you. I rewrote a portion of this chapter to fix this problem, but I pray that I haven't offended anyone. I just got an idea and I wrote it, okay. I have nothing against them, I repeat nothing.

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 20: Bizarre Revelations**

James and Lily both opened their mouths but no sound came out. They seemed to lose their motivation and decided it would be better just to be silent and do as the Professor told.

"Now that I have finished picking your enem - partners. I think we can finally get started. We will be making a Truth Potion. I'm sure you all know what that is." Her grin grew as the students began to guess what was coming next.  
  
"You will make enough for two and then try it on each other."  
  
Once again the class grinded their teeth and wondered how long it would take to set her hair on fire. Too bad this wasn't Divination, things would be a whole lot easier.  
  
"Turn to page 68 in your book, there should be some instructions and information on the making of the potion. It will be very complex, but I think with some hard work and cooperation, you will finish and be successful. So get to work." She barked. The Professor sat down at her desk and began to watch her masterpiece unfold. This was going to be a very, very entertaining class. She was looking forward to it.  
  
Unfortunately she didn't think of how life threatening it might be.

Within three seconds of the class, Sirius and Snape were arguing, loud enough for the entire class to hear.

"Snape you're it!"

"I'm afraid not Black, but then that must mean that you have to be it."

"I AM NOT IT! YOU ARE!"

"NO YOU'RE IT!"

"Mr. Black and Mr. Snape we do not play tag in this classroom." The Professor said calmly, the class snickered.

"We weren't playing tag." Snape snapped.

"Then what were you doing, flirting?" Again the class had to snicker. Sirius looked like he might vomit.

"No I was telling Snape that he has to be the girl." Sirius replied.

"But Black's the real girl." Snape shot back.

"Please don't talk about your sexual relations in public. I'm sure the class doesn't want to hear about it." Professor Tomorrow advised. Both Sirius and Snape gaped at her, when they finally realized what she was implying.

Sirius looked disgusted. "Professor we are not-"

"-having sex!" Snape finished.

"Then why must you two argue about who's the female in your relationship?" The Professor asked.

"Because you paired us up Boy/Girl and-" But again Snape cut him off.

"But he's the girl! I'm not attracted to _girls_!"

It was the way that Snape said it. He had been trying to make Sirius out as the girl, but instead he had revealed a piece of information about his personal life that should have never come to the surface. Sirius's jaw dropped and suddenly he started laughing.

"Oh my god." Taylor gasped, as a giggle escaped from her throat. "You're g-g-gay!" She hunched over giggling, and proceeded to fall off the chair and onto the floor shaking. Others followed suit, except for one particularly slimy looking Slytherin girl who resembled a slime covered boulder.

"It's over between us Severus!" She shouted as she stormed out of the room.

"Toffy wait!" Snape ran after the girl, despite the loud laughter coming from the students they could hear her loud squeaky voice carrying through the dungeons.

"No! I always knew you had fairy blood and that you liked the color pink. But I never told anyone cause I thought you loved me!" She sobbed.

"But Toffy-"

"You cheated on me with that Slytherin sixth year! All that _studying _you guys did together. I can see now that it was all a lie! I loved you Severus, and you ran to the disco dancing boy for comfort!"

"But Toffy can't we-"

"No Severus I don't go for bi-sexuals either. We're through."

Their voices and footsteps left the dungeon, and the class roared with laughter. The Slytherins quickly got a hold of themselves. It was hysterical, but they were the Slytherins and the thrill of getting Gryffindors in trouble outweighed that of laughing at a misfit Slytherin.

"Class please restrain yourself." The Professor said, though she was still smirking. The Gryffindors knew better then to mess with her and managed to keep their laughter muffled. The class continued, oddly quiet now that Snape had left and Sirius had no one to argue with.

Narcissa had spent her time complaining about Peter making him shrink lower and lower. It was getting on people's nerves though and they were trying very hard to ignore her. Eventually a Muting Charm was also put into use in this case as well. Narcissa wasn't pleased.  
  
The Professor was getting bored now that Sirius and Snape were gone. Lily and James were taking too long. So she paired up Jenn's partner with Toffy's partner. It had to be a coincidence that one of the Slytherins had stolen the other's girlfriend. The two clashed right away. Rather then using their wands they decided to punch, hit, kick, bite and wrestle with one another, knocking their Potions ingredients to the floor and everyone else's on that side of the room. The girl quickly got involved, but the Professor and the rest of the class soon found it boring since none of the three could muster the simplest of spells or say anything more then a grunt. The girl just kept shrieking, unable to chose who she wanted to save.

"I love you Goyle!"

"No I love Crabbe!"

"No wait – what are their names again?"

The Professor gave them some chocolate and told them they could have more if they stopped fighting. Not a peep came out of them for the rest of the class.

Everyone was waiting for Lily and James to blow up at each other but at the moment they were calmly taking their things out and setting them up. Lily was reading the pages in the book on the Potion. James was making sure they had everything. There hadn't been any words exchanged between the two and it was almost as if they had taken a code of silence.  
  
The Professor was looking forward to an argument between the two. She had heard about the breakup and the fact that they had gone back to being enemies. But this was disappointing. It was almost as if they were getting along. The Professor decided to go back to correcting papers. "F", "C", "F", "C" (It was a 50/50 chance of getting either an "F" or a "C" today. She didn't favor the Gryffindors or The Slytherins nor did she read the papers.)

"We better get started." Lily's voice broke the imaginary barrier, shattering the code of silence. For a brief moment James looked at her, wondering how he could possibly hate such a girl. But the next second he was ready to curse her. In the end he settled for neither and ignored her.  
  
"Fine be that way." Lily muttered.   
  
"Are you going to take advantage of me again Evans." James hissed finally finding his voice.  
  
Lily stared at him and narrowed her green eyes. She looked as if she wanted to tell him a thing or two but instead shook her head and went back to cutting up the root.  
  
"Fine be that way." James said imitating her.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes and James rolled his eyes too. She shook her head again and he shook his head as well. She reached for her wand and gave him a threatening look. James reached for his wand and gave her a threatening look that matched her own.  
  
"I'm warning you Potter."  
  
"I'm warning you Evans."   
  
Lily didn't like the imitation thing one bit. But it looked like the only way to end it was with her wand. Maybe she could throw the cauldron accidentally at his head. You know, have it slip while it somehow was hovering over his head.  
  
"James Potter..." Lily said warningly.  
  
"Lillian Evans..." James was starting to enjoy this. She looked cute when she got mad. He reminded himself to stop thinking such things about his enemy.  
  
"Cut it out!" Lily snapped.  
  
"Cut it out!" James snapped back.  
  
Lily was furious, but another part of her was dying to laugh. He looked so funny imitating her every move. He was very good at it. Soon they had attracted a large audience, nearly everyone in the class was watching, enjoying the "free entertainment".  
  
Lily was not about to let James win.   
  
"I hate you Potter."  
  
"I hate you Evans."  
  
"Stop doing that."  
  
"Stop doing that."  
  
"I mean it."  
  
"I mean it."  
  
"I'm giving you until ten."  
  
"I'm giving you until ten."  
  
Finally Lily could take it no longer. He was mocking her and his sassy attitude was driving her up a wall, she threw him a curve ball.  
  
"Lily is so irresistible."  
  
"Lily is so irresistib-" James cut off midway realizing what he had just said.  
  
The class broke into laughter. Lily grinned triumphantly and hid her glowing face behind her red tresses, bending over to cut the root up. It was James' turn to be angry. He was going to get her back, one of these days he's get his revenge on the clever vixen(_STOP THINKING LIKE THAT_) and make her wish that she had never laid a hand on him.

"Don't look at me like that, James." Lily said a few minutes later when the class was looking elsewhere.  
  
"I AM not looking at you. Why would you even think of such things! There's no way I'd be looking at you like _that_ Evans." James shouted.  
  
Lily blinked, slightly taken aback. Clearly he had thought she had meant it in another way and clearly he had been looking at her in "_that_" way. But she let it slide.  
  
"Not "_that_" way." Lily explained.  
  
"What- Oh." James fell silent. Only Lily seemed to notice that he turned a little pink.   
  
"Listen James you shouldn't have started imitating me in the first place." Lily said shaking her head. His moping was aggravating her, but it wasn't her fault the class was laughing at him.  
  
"I hate you Evans." James growled.  
  
"That's nice James. But I really don't care about what you think." Lily politely replied.  
  
"I really hate you, Li-Evans." James hissed in her ear.  
  
"James if you're trying to get on my nerves, it's working. You're now a step away from another blast from my wand, and surely we wouldn't want that again." She said sweetly.  
  
She turned around suddenly, wand in hand, and they realized how close they were. James' face was less then six inches from her own. Lily suddenly was staring into those amazing brown eyes of his. She felt herself slowly drowning in those dark pools of brown. She longed to fall into his embrace, where she seemed to fit so perfectly. All she needed to do was step toward those waiting arms and lips and she would be back in heaven. Lily closed her eyes, but almost instantly snapped back to reality.  
  
"Would you like me to put it into English for you." She asked glaring.   
  
James was having another one of those moments where he couldn't decide whether to kill her or kiss her passionately.   
  
"James!"  
  
"What Li-Evans!" He snapped.  
  
"I'm counting to ten." She twirled her wand expertly between her fingertips. James realized what position he was in.  
  
"Sorry Evans I just had to-" He grinned and flicked his wand. Instantly her cauldron was transformed into a giant white and black sheep.

"-introduce you to my wooly friend. Watch it he's a little Baaaaaad." James smirked as Lily turned to see what he was talking about. She saw the sheep standing on the desk and flipped.  
  
"Sheep? My cauldron?" Lily gasped. She grasped the table trying to think of what to do next. The sheep stared at her with unblinking black eyes.   
  
"P-P-Po-ttterrrr I'm going - going to - kill you." She was stuttering she was so angry. James wondered why she didn't just transfigure it back, but he was enjoying this. Then he realized that Lily was never good at Transfiguration. Too bad for her!   
  
"Kill, you, I swear I will." Lily was muttering. Slowly she moved toward the sheep.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you. Now just stand still so I can stun -" Lily raised her wand but the sheep chose this moment to lazily jump off the desk and start threading its way through the classroom.  
  
"I hate you James, I really, really, really, do." Lily was so angry that she could hardly get the words out.

"That's nice Lily. But I really, really, really, don't care what you think about me." James leaned against the table as Lily shot him a last glare.  
  
A scream echoed through the classroom. The sheep had found Narcissa. Chaos and Havoc suddenly broke out all at once. The girls were on chairs. The guys were laughing, crumbling onto the ground. The sheep was running in every direction, frightened by the noise and the people. The Professor got up from her chair.  
  
"Okay everyone what's going- SHEEP!"  
  
The Professor yelped and was up on her desk faster then the speed of light. She stood up on the desk wrapping her arms around herself and staring down at the sheep with eyes the size of saucers. It took the class a moment to realize that she wasn't angry but petrified. She was whimpering, closing her eyes and screeching every time she opened them. It looked like she was going to cry. She was taking deep breaths. Taylor fell off her chair, she was so shocked. The class couldn't believe that their evil professor was acting in such a way. She was afraid, of all things, of sheep?  
  
"Get it away! It's going to eat me!" The Professor cried leaping back.  
  
The sheep wandered to the edge of her desk and stared hungrily up at the teacher. If the class didn't know any better they might have thought that sheep really did eat people.  
  
"HELP ME! Someone! PLEASE!" She was jumping from one foot to the other.  
  
The sheep took a step forward. The Professor screamed, a scream that could break millions of windows.  
  
"LOOK AT ITS TEETH! It's GOT FANGS! Help ME! Someone! I don't Want the SHEEP to Get Me! The Ferocious beast, it's going to tear me apart. Please, Moooottthhheeerrrrr. Don't let the sheeeeeepppp ggggeeet mmmeeee. I donnnn'''ttt wwwannnnttt tttooo ddddiiiieeeee!" She was shaking all over and had gone suddenly pale. Even the sheep had backed off. The class was scared just looking at her.  
  
The spell didn't last very long. The sheep changed suddenly back into Lily's cauldron. The Professor's eyes grew to three times the size they normally were, looked at Lily and then fainted, falling straight off the desk. The class flinched as she hit the floor.  
  
"That's got to hurt." Someone muttered.   
  
"I think being afraid of sheep is ten times worse." Another said. The class laughed a little, but it was outrageous. A teacher, afraid of sheep?

"Snakes I can see." One Slytherin commented. "But sheep?" He continued. For once everyone actually agreed on something. They shared a brief laugh before Narcissa realized that she was missing a nail.  
  
"Evans you're in big trouble, I'm telling everyone about what you did." Narcissa hissed.  
  
"It's a crisis! Everyone, Narcissa just broke a nail!" Diane squealed in mock horror. "Call in the officials, get the Ministry. Lily Evans must die!" She continued fanning herself.  
  
Narcissa glared and turned away. The class returned to normal, as they left, once again the two houses were divided.  
  
"This is the second teacher that's fainted on us." Mary groaned.  
  
"I know, it must be a pattern." Taylor said giggling.  
  
"Nah, just the Marauders doing their job. You know our motto." Sirius said trailing off expectantly.  
  
"Destroy everything in sight?" Mary guessed.  
  
"Get the most detentions?" Lily guessed.  
  
"Torture the Professors?" Diane asked.  
  
"Wreak havoc?"  
  
"Make Lily wish she was dead?" James asked hopefully.  
  
Lily turned to him and glared.  
  
"That was your fault." She pointed out to him.  
  
"If you hadn't been so sassy then we wouldn't have had to go there." James said scowling.  
  
"So what is our motto?" Remus asked Sirius changing the subject.   
  
"Kill Evil people like Lillian Marie Ev- OUCH!" James leapt back holding his injured arm.  
  
For a girl, Lily could certainly punch hard. He kicked her back. Lily turned red in the face and took out her wand.  
  
"You want to start something Potter?" She asked angrily.

"Excuse me but I'm the one that's injured."  
  
"Well if you hadn't been so annoying then maybe I wouldn't have had to go to such extremes."  
  
"WHAT IS THE MOTTO SIRIUS? I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD TELL US." Remus said raising his voice above theirs. Sirius opened his mouth but nothing came out. Lily and James were practically at each other's throats.  
  
"What sheep got your tongue?" Mary teased.  
  
"From the way the Professor was acting I wouldn't be surprised." Diane snorted.  
  
"It's cat got your tongue." Remus said rolling his eyes.  
  
"Sorry everyone I was watching the Sheep fight." Sirius said chuckling.  
  
"Cat fight, sheep and cats are not the same thing." Remus explained.

"They aren't?" Peter was stunned. The others gave him a funny look.  
  
"_Right,_ back to the motto." Taylor said, giving Peter a final weird look.  
  
"Oh yeah, our motto is never trust a sheep. They have fangs, and those ferocious beasts will tear you apart from limb to limb. Sheeps may look innocent but they are really, really, really, dangerous. That's the motto." Sirius said.  
  
Everyone rolled their eyes.   
  
"What's the real motto?" Diane asked curiously.   
  
"Uh, well you see that is it. Sheep are evil. That's our motto." Sirius continued.  
  
"You don't have one do you." Taylor said dully.  
  
"Actually no." Sirius grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Ewe little baaaaad sheep...."   
  
"Cut it out with the sheep thing!" Diane said clasping her hands over her ears.  
  
"Sorry." They said lambly(lamely).  
  
_At this point Diane goes crazy and tries to grab the keyboard from the possessed author. She holds the keyboard captive for an hour or so, but the author gives in, unable to be away from her precious story any longer. So no more sheep. Diane goes back into the story._

"I promise I won't be baaaaad." Sirius earned a slap from Diane.   
  
"You took advantage of me!"  
  
All of them spun around realizing that a fight was still going on in the back of the room between Lily and James. Wands out, they were standing five feet apart, glaring and scowling at each other.  
  
"I did not take advantage of you Potter!" Lily shouted, turning a brilliant shade of red.  
  
"You did too! I remember it all! You took advantage of me, while my memory was gone." James argued.  
  
"I did not!"  
  
"You were the one that put the memory charm on me in the first place!"  
  
"I did that-"  
  
"SEE!"  
  
"-but you were asking for it!"  
  
"Then you must have taken advantage of me as well!"  
  
"No."  
  
"You did, you just admitted it."  
  
"No."  
  
"Evans I know you did!"  
  
"No, NO I DID NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU!" Lily's voice echoed through the room. James momentarily stopped his arguing and waited for what she had to say.  
  
She stepped toward him and lowered her voice to a more civilized tone. Her eyes were directly on his.  
  
"James, I didn't take advantage of you. You were the one that was following me around. You were the one that wouldn't leave me alone. You thought I was some type of angel on earth. You called me beautiful and said you loved me and followed me around like a shadow. Do you really think I wanted that? It's your own fault James. I couldn't get rid of you! Believe me I would have if I could have. But do you think you remember that? Of course not. All you remember is the fact that we kissed and you assume that it's all my fault." Lily had to stop to catch her breath. Her gaze upon him, tore at his heart, it was painful.   
  
"Think again James. Look at all the facts before you come and accuse me. And remember it was you that started this seven years ago, not me." Lily stared at him sadly then walked slowly out of the room.

**A/N: Go Lily! I just had to say that.**

**I am EXTREMELY sorry if I have offended anyone who may be gay or bi-sexual. I am also really sorry if I have offended anyone who can not speak in anything but grunts or shrieks or anyone that is petrified of sheep. If I have offended any sheep lovers I am also very sorry. **

**That chapter was a little weird. The sheep part, I have no idea where that came from. I think it might have had something to do with Dolly and clones and Biology. It was probably some nightmare of mine. I have no idea to this day. Oh yeah the ending of this story is not finished yet, sorry. I wrote about 6 pages in MSWord, got carried off in another direction, almost murdered someone that should have never been murdered and then I got blocked again and then I went on vacation again. So yeah...I'm working on it.**

**Thanks to my wonderful reviewers! **

**Strawberry Love-chii:** I know the fun is just beginning for Lily and James and their Potion's Project. Writer's block is evil, but I'm not going to drop this story I have a lot more prewritten before I start slowing down. I intend to work on the ending tonight! Wish me luck!

**Animalluvr75:** I love fast updates too. Sorry this one was late. The days just got away from me and I thought was going down on the 17th and 18th so I figured I'd take my time changing this chapter and now it's the 23rd instead. Oh well I love this site. Thanks for the review!

**Spawn32818:** You'll see... The next Potion's class is even better for Lily and James.

**Amelia **Bedelia: Sorry the update's late! Yep the 8 ball thing was a little weird, I got a little caught up in it and I still crack up when I read that part with Sirius when he's asking about Diane. I guess my sister had one of those fast food toys that was like an 8 ball, I found it the other day in one of the shelves near the computer and I realized where this chapter came from. So I'm not completely crazy. Thanks for reviewing!

**KristiexxNguyen:** I love the "holy" "magic" eight ball too! I found it the other day in my house, though it kept telling me that I was never going to finish this story. After that I decided to chuck it. I had too much fun writing that chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

**Misakichi1:** Thank you for the compliment and thanks for leaving a review! Sorry this update was so late, I thought fanfiction was going down on the 17th and 18th but I guess I was wrong. Thanks again!

**Trut**h: There really was something in my eye! Me, being the idiot that I am, always get suntan lotion in my eyes. You'd think I'd learn the first time not to rub my eyes when it's on my hands but no, Hazel has to do it at least once every day during the summer. My parents keep wondering if I'm depressed because I always look like I've been crying. I found my sister's 8 ball! It was one of the toys you get in the fast food meals, and it was in one of the shelves in back of my computer. I was so thrilled that I sat down and started asking it if I was ever going to be a famous author. It told me no about 5 times in a row so I chucked it across the room and now I can't find it. Yeah I love that line that Sirius gets from the eight ball about Diane. Professor Coincidence is a name I made up, but I really had a teacher named Professor Tomorrow (though it was spelt differently) and everyone but me hated his guts. (Because I aced the class) Ironically he taught history, weird. Thanks for reviewing!

**Granger-gurl-rox:** Yep, me being a complete idiot, I have a tendency of rubbing my eyes after I put suntan lotion on. So everyone thinks I'm depressed because I always look like I've been crying. I think I was crying as well, because of the combination of those reasons. But yes I think I might have a shot at finishing this, as soon as I get past another roadblock. And then hopefully yes I will go back and finish a couple of my stories that I've abandoned. That's my goal though already I'm starting something else. Thanks for reviewing!

**Agloechen:** Thanks, I'm glad you don't mind the clichés. I swear I didn't plan it, they just kind of crept up on me. The Divination class, yep the 8 ball was a little crazy but I still laugh at parts. I love it when Lily and James have to work together too, it only gets better in the next class, I can promise you that! Thanks for reviewing!

**Intrepiditorian:** Yep Severus has a feminine side that none of us knew about. Thanks for pointing out the error, you weren't the only one to notice that. Oops! I felt like an idiot after that but I did make a pathetic attempt to fix it in this chapter, though I don't know if I made it worse or not. Thanks for being the first to point out the error and thanks for leaving a review!

**Icy-magic:** Will James go through with the prank? Well he sort of pulled one on her in this chapter, but was it _the_ prank? Wait and see! Thank you very much for adding me to your favorites, I'm thrilled that you like this story. Thanks for reviewing!

**LCh8292:** You left me 2 reviews by accident! Snape has a feminine side none of us knew about. Yes I know I screwed up on the Sirius/Snape pairing! Oops, I made a big mistake. You're the second one to notice that. I made a weak attempt to fix it in this chapter, but I'm not sure if I made it worse. It was rather predictable that Lily and James were going to end up together, sorry I just had to do that! It just gives me more opportunities to throw them together and its clichéd but how else can they get closer to each other? Yeah I went off the deep end with the Divination class, but I had a laugh when I reread it. Thanks for reviewing!

**Done Gone Died on Us:** I agree my Biology teacher was horrible! She just made the subject ten times worse for me. It figures, all the moneys in that field today. Yep this whole story's clichéd, it was one of the reasons why I was terrified of posting this on because I knew it was clichéd. But hey I still love it at times. Thanks for reviewing!

**SparxliePixie:** Severus Snape is a WOMAN! It's the story that J.K Rowling isn't telling us! Just kidding! Um yeah Snape is rather feminine, but I did mess up on that part. You are the third person to notice that mistake of mine. I was a little embarrassed after that happened, but I made a pathetic attempt to fix it in this chapter. Thanks for pointing it out to me though and thanks for reviewing!

**Kita:** Thank you. I appreciate the review!

**Elise: **I know I have way too many clichés in this story but I don't care! This is how I wrote the story, I guess I had a very twisted sense of humor when I wrote this. Just wait and see, it'll play out soon I promise! Thanks for reviewing!

**Firefur1:** The fun is just beginning, believe me, the next class is going to be better. Sorry this chapter is so late, I thought was going down but apparently not. I hope you like this chapter as well! Thanks for the review!

**Next chapter...I have no idea. With going down Monday, I don't know. Perhaps tomorrow or Sunday but probably Tuesday. Thanks again!**


	21. Breaking Down

**Author's Note: I know, I know I said Tuesday. Don't kill me! **

**Good News: Number 1, The story is now officially over 2 years old! I started this on August 20th 2002, and August 20th 2004 just passed Wow. That's just incredible, for me. I didn't know that my attention span lasted that long, it doesn't seem that long ago for some reason. I started this as a joke, I swear I wrote the first chapter in like 10 minutes. And it's just weird that there are people reading this, and I'm still not finished with it. I can't get over that. ****Number 2, I added a lot to this chapter. I tried something new, that I haven't done before. I hope you like it. **

**Bad News: Number 1, I have not finished it yet. I'm still struggling with the last couple of chapters, but that's at least 10 chapters away. I was hoping I could get it done at the 2 year mark, but my muse has taken a vacation. ****Number 2, School starts on the 31st for me. I hate school, I haven't finished my homework, and I just hate school. I think I'll still be able to update frequently since this is prewritten. But the ending might take even longer to write. **

**That's all!

* * *

**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 21: Breaking Down**

Sirius whistled in amazement.  
  
"Wow." Remus said raising his eyebrows.  
  
"James I think she won again." Diane said watching the stunned James.  
  
James got his breath back and tried to think of something to say.  
  
"Evans - She- took advantage of me - doesn't know what she's talking about - I - well - I'll kill her." He ended hissing. Before anyone could say anything else he was running after her out into the hallway.  
  
"Do I even want to know what he's going to do?" Mary asked herself glancing at the others.  
  
"No. But I think it involves Lily in trouble." Remus replied.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Come on let's go!"  
  
All of them went running after him.

* * *

Lily was perfectly aware of the fact that James Potter wanted to murder her. But that didn't stop her from taking her time. In the end James Potter ran right past her because she was walking so slowly and calmly. He didn't notice it until he was already on the second floor. By the time he turned around and back tracked, he realized that the rest of the group was huffing after him and Lily Evans was already in the Common Room.  
  
He raced into the Gryffindor Common Room, slamming the portrait behind him. A second or two later half of the gang tumbled into the common room. James was too busy concentrating on the search for Evans. He went straight into the Girl's Dormitory. Thankfully no one was in there and then turned around and came back down into the common room.  
  
"Are you looking for me Potter?" Lily Evans was sitting calmly on a chair in the Common room by the fire.  
  
James didn't think he just raised his wand and Lily yelped. Suddenly she was on the ceiling, tied up, and with a muting charm on her. James blinked wondering where that idea had come from. He stared dumbly up at the scowling red head, admiring his work.  
  
"What has he done to her?" Mary asked taking her wand out to do the counter curse.  
  
It wasn't necessary. Suddenly Lily's bindings unwrapped and her arms and legs came free. Someone had already freed her. Unfortunately something had gone wrong in the process because Lily suddenly dropped from the ceiling.  
  
James saw her fall. He moved quickly to the left and caught his enemy safely in his arms. 

Their eyes interlocked and any thoughts of dropping her were driven from James' head. He was momentarily frozen, his arms wrapped safely around her and his eyes staring into hers. Everyone waited on bated breath for Lily and James to take that last step.  
  
"Awwww Lily and James made up!" Taylor squealed coming into the room. Peter fell onto the floor behind her.  
  
James was so shocked that he dropped Lily. Luckily Lily landed on the sofa. She lay there where he had dropped her, an expression of surprise on her face. The girl was unable to tear her eyes away from him. James stared at their friends and then suddenly brushed past them, exiting through the portrait. As soon as the portrait slammed shut Lily snapped out of her trance. She stood up and ran up to the Girl's Dormitory, slamming the door shut behind her.  
  
"Did I say something wrong?" Taylor asked.  
  
"Of course not." Mary growled.  
  
"Oh good I thought -"  
  
"You ruined everything!" Sirius interrupted.  
  
"They were this close." Diane whined leaning against Sirius. She made a motion with her hand.  
  
"This close, I'm telling you. I saw it in their eyes!" She continued.  
  
"I'm sorry." Taylor mumbled.  
  
"Don't feel bad Taylor. It probably wouldn't have lasted anyway." Mary sighed.  
  
"I wish James would get over himself. Lily's waiting for him but she's going to get fed up soon and turn him away when he comes to his senses." Diane grumbled.  
  
"So true, this is turning into a soap opera." Mary muttered.  
  
"We need to end it once and for all." Remus said suddenly.  
  
Everyone turned to him.  
  
"What do you have in mind?" Mary asked slyly.  
  
"The same thing they had in mind for us." Remus said wrapping his arm around her.  
  
"Wait, wait, wait. You mean to tell us that they set us up!" Diane exclaimed in horror.  
  
"They did no such thing." Remus said flatly.  
  
"You're sure?" Diane asked.  
  
"Positive." Remus and Mary exchanged a look. They of course didn't mention the fact that there had been a bet involved. But that was another story.  
  
"You want us to be the matchmakers, I take it?" Sirius asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes." Remus said nodding.  
  
"Well you are talking to the number one matchmaker at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am the one and only Sirius Black, president of Matchmakers INC." Sirius struck a pose.

Taylor's eyebrows went up and the rest rolled their eyes.  
  
"I am. I'm telling you I am the one and only number one matchmaker." Sirius ran a hand through his hair throwing the girls his famous look, that had no effect whatsoever on them.  
  
"Sirius Black the one and only number one heartbreaker, now that's a name he lives up to." Diane glared at her boyfriend meaningfully.  
  
"Diane you are looking simply ravishing today." He sidled up to her.  
  
"Don't even start Sirius." Diane scowled.  
  
"I say there is no finer woman in all of England. There is no one with your dazzling beauty." He stepped closer to her.  
  
"Give it a rest Sirius. I'm mad at you." But the others could see a smile tugging at her lips as she spoke.  
  
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her kissing her cheek lightly. Diane tried to get away from him but his arms were too strong. She giggled.  
  
"Sirius stop, that tickles!" She finally turned toward him and ended up accidentally kissing him on the lips. She stopped struggling and soon they were snogging.  
  
"I don't know what we're going to do with those two." Taylor sighed. Mary and Remus laughed.  
  
"You mean they like each other?" Peter asked. He didn't realize that they were now boyfriend and girlfriend.  
  
"Yes Peter, I think as you can see from their public demonstrations of affection that they like each other." Mary remarked rolling her eyes.  
  
"Oh. I never noticed. They're a little close for friends aren't they?" Peter asked nervously.  
  
"Peter, they're boyfriend and girlfriend." Taylor laughed.  
  
"Oh." Peter still looked a little puzzled but he was always confused.  
  
Mary shook her head silently laughing. She took Remus by the hand and beckoned to Taylor and Peter.  
  
"Why are we leaving?" Peter asked as they stepped outside of the portrait.  
  
"I'm not even going to answer that one." Taylor said exchanging glances with Mary and Remus. They stifled a laugh and started down the hall, heading for the Great Hall.  
  
"I don't get it." Peter mumbled running to catch up with them.  
  
"Sirius you ruined my perfectly angry mood. How am I supposed to act like a normal girlfriend if you're always doing that to me?" Diane asked punching him lightly.  
  
"You're just going to have to get used to my irresistible charm." Sirius chuckled.

Diane groaned.  
  
"I hate you." She muttered.  
  
Sirius didn't have time to react for Diane pulled him toward her, kissing him.

* * *

The doors flung open and James Potter stormed outside. His head was bent, his fists were clenched and his glowing red face was twisted in a scowl. He was mad, no doubt it had something to do with a certain green eyed red head. The fan club and fellow students quickly scattered, knowing from past experiences what happened when James Potter was bothered while he was mad.

He kept going, barely taking notice of his surroundings. His feet led him up the hill, and down to the Quidditch Pitch where he spent so much of his time. What he needed right now was a reality check, and ironically the only thing that could bring him back down to earth was a ride on his broom.

Unfortunately his Silver Arrow was still in the castle, and under no circumstances was James returning to the Gryffindor Tower, while Evans was still around. He grabbed one of the school brooms, not caring that it was at least 50 years out of date and was slower then his great grandmother's broomstick. He wrapped his hands around the rotting, splintering handle and kicked off the ground.

Thoughts swirled about in his turbulent mind and questions surfaced. How come Evans made him so mad? How come he let her get under his skin? He wanted to wring her scrawny neck, but then there were those times when he stared deeply into those emerald eyes of her, and had to restrain himself from touching those dark red locks, and kissing those soft welcoming lips. _STOP! STOP THINKING LIKE THAT!_

It was the spell it had to be the spell. Evans cast a love spell on him, that was the only reason why he had these thoughts of her. They'll go away, he assured himself. It was just a curse, just evil Evans toying with him, casting a stupid curse on him.

"I hate Evans. I hate Li-Evans, I hate her. I hate... I hate...I love-"

"**NO!" **James shouted, swerving wildly as he attempted to slam his head on the broomstick. He regained control of the broom, regaining control of his mind.

_YOU HATE HER. You hate Evans! She's your enemy, your nemesis, the one who cast this horrible curse on you in the first place. You're supposed to hate her. You can't be attracted to her._

"I'm not!" But his reply was too weak.

_You can't love her._

"I don't." It was a mere whisper and when he tried to voice it again he simply couldn't. He cleared his voice.

"I...I...h-h-hate Ev...Li...Ev..." But he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence no matter how hard he tried. A growl of frustration escaped his lips.

"It'll go away... it's just a curse... it'll go away...it won't last forever." He kept repeating this over and over again, trying to make his mind believe what his heart would not.

* * *

**It won't last forever.**

Lily had known this from the start. The day she allowed James Potter to lead her outside on that moonlit evening by the lake, she knew exactly what she was getting herself into.

_**She felt his arm go around her as he gently dragged her along to who knows where they were going. Lily only remembered that a strange warmth and sense of calm descended over the confusion that was currently raging in her poor mind.  
  
He pushed the doors open revealing the Hogwarts grounds. Lily looked around at the sweeping hills, dark rustling forest and the glistening lake all bathed in moonlight even though it was even 3/4 of a moon. It was beautiful.  
  
"It's such a nice night." Lily sighed as she stood in the entrance way not quite ready to move.  
  
James smiled.  
  
"Want to take a walk?" He asked her.  
  
"At this hour?" But the moonlight seemed to overtake her. Lily found herself fighting something that was too powerful for her weakened heart. The moonlight traced his features revealing a James Potter that she didn't know.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Lily struggled. This was James Potter. But he's not. This isn't the James Potter you know. He's different. And it's so beautiful. What harm can it do? A lot of harm. But the moonlight overcame her and Lily found herself nodding.  
  
"Okay." She said quietly.  
  
He reached out and took her hand. Again that same warmth and calm descended upon her. And Lily Evans found herself being led out into the beautiful night by none other then James Potter, her greatest foe.**_

But there had been something in the air that night, something in his eyes that seemed sincere, and something in her heart that made Lily Evans go along with him. She should have turned around, should've pushed him away, but then he kissed her.

_**"You know you're beautiful." James said softly.  
  
James was staring at her again. Lily felt the heat rise in her face almost in a strange type of embarrassment. She pushed her red hair behind her ears running her fingers through it nervously.  
  
"No I'm not-" She insisted but she froze momentarily as a warm hand touched her forehead gently putting a loose strand of her hair back into place.  
  
He touched her cheek and their eyes met. Lily shivered even though she wasn't cold. James seemed to look slightly nervous also as if the connection was something he too had never experienced before. Lily had never felt like this before. Suddenly the world seemed to be shut off and it was just her and James. Even the old facts that she was his enemy and he was under a memory charm thanks to her were shut down with the rest of her brain. She was dizzy and light headed.  
  
Slowly he leaned toward her. They were now closer then they had ever been in all their life. For one scary moment both of them teetered on the edge. They were walking that thin line between turning back and change. All they had to do was lean an inch more forward and it would be complete. Lily fought with all her might. But the old hate was gone, diminished after one look in those brown eyes.  
  
She inched forward.  
  
Their lips touched.  
  
It was only her and James. The world just collapsed around her. Lily nearly fainted. She had never felt anything like this before. Never. It was just so... wonderful, strange, new, lovely, beautiful, amazing. It was everything she had ever hoped for, but more. Lily couldn't even describe it. Was it love?  
  
She trembled in his arms. The kiss was gentle but it expressed a passion that neither of them had ever experienced before. James held her in his arms and she clung to him not wanting to let go of that feeling. She didn't want it to end.  
  
At last they drew back gasping for breath. Lily stared into his brown eyes breathing heavily. He stared back into her emerald green eyes. An identical look of shock lined both of their faces. They clearly hadn't been expecting that.  
  
"That was -" James started catching his breath.  
  
"Yeah it was -" Lily stumbled for the right word.  
  
"Wow." James finished.  
  
"Amazing." Lily murmured quietly fully agreeing with James for the first time in her life.  
  
They just stood there not quite sure what to do or say. Drowning in each other's eyes they were breathless. The only thing that was stopping them from returning to bliss was those few inches of space that remained between them. James looked as if he were about to say something but couldn't quite find the words. Lily quickly solved that problem and moved forward catching James lips with her own. Whatever he had been about to say was quickly forgotten, as well as the rest of the world. The moment was relived.  
**  
_It was too late after that. She had already started falling in love with him.

_**He grinned and grabbed her around the waist drawing her close. Lily scowled and attempted to wiggle free but James held her grinning slyly. Lily gave up unable to stay mad at him, even if it was James Potter. Once again that wave of panic went through her. "What the heck was she doing?" This was a dangerous game. One that Lily knew she shouldn't be playing.  
  
But it was too tempting and Lily was weak when it came to him. He leaned down toward her catching her lips with his. She struggled for a moment but soon stopped. She wrapped an arm around his neck.  
  
She was going to play the game of love.**_

And she had fallen fast, too fast. She had tried though, to resist him, knowing in her heart how wrong it was.

**_"Lily?"  
  
She turned around abruptly but was not shocked to see him. She watched through watery eyes as James he lowered himself down to sit beside her on the bank.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Yes." She said. Then she paused and continued. "Actually no. I'm not okay."  
  
James looked thoroughly confused. He blamed himself.  
  
"No it's not you. Well it is you. But well James there's something I should tell you." A tear streamed down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away but another formed._**

She had fought so hard. _  
  
**Telling James Potter off had always been easy. She had always hated him. And he had always hated her. Then why now was he looking at her in that way? And why couldn't she turn him down just this once? It was supposed to be simple. It was supposed to prevent her from getting hurt. He was remembering. The spell was coming undone. Soon the old James Potter would be back. Lily didn't want to be caught in his arms the moment he remembered. She wanted to get rid of him now while she still wasn't fully attached. She wanted to do it now before she fell in love. . .  
  
Lily shook her head quickly. James was wiping the tears away from her eyes but Lily pushed him gently away from her. She didn't need this. She was not in love with him. Then why couldn't she do this?  
  
"James I don't think. This, us, it's just not right." Lily whispered. The tears were falling more freely down her cheeks.**_

She had come so close.**_  
  
James stopped her placing a hand on her cheek. Once again that sudden warmth ran through her and Lily was forced to look into his brown eyes.  
  
"Lily I love you." He whispered.  
  
Lily knew that James Potter had never told a girl that he loved her. But Lily also knew something he didn't. She knew that this was all a lie and the truth had been forgotten._**

But in the end..._  
  
**Unfortunately that didn't stop her from living the lie. However dangerous it was. Love was cruel and dangerous. She had become another player in its game, trapped with no way out. She couldn't let go yet. Because she had come to the realization that she . . .  
  
"I love you James." Lily said in a quiet voice.**_

She couldn't do it.

_  
**They smiled. He wiped away her tears and drew her into a light kiss. They held onto each other. Lily just resting in his soft embrace. She was in love with James Potter. And now she knew that she was in for a heartbreak.**_

And now it was over.

Lily pulled the curtains shut. She sat on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms tightly around them. Leaning back against the pillows she closed her eyes. She tried to get rid of the memories she had of James and her, the good and the bad. But they persisted in haunting her, like the ghosts that floated through the castle. Except the memories were worse, they followed her everywhere, they were a part of her.

"I want to forget" She begged.

James swam up before her, dancing with her at the Three Broomsticks and teasing her, talking with her and snogging her senseless until she could barely stand. Every image that she saw tore at her heart and she pleaded with herself to forget. But she was cursed to relive them, over and over again.

She had to deal with the consequences of her mistake.

"Why did I fall for him?"

The answer was already clear. Love. Love was something that you couldn't refuse, you couldn't turn your back on love. It took control of you when you least expected it, and made you do and say things that you never thought you'd ever do. She regretted it now.

Or did she?

The heartbreak hurt, but reliving the memories she smiled and laughed.

Was it worth it?

Lily paused, listening to the echoes of James and her laughing. If she closed her eyes she could almost feel his arms around her, and his lips pressing against hers. Her heart raced at the mere memory. She opened her eyes, and found the answer that she had been searching for.

"Yes, it was worth it." She whispered.

And then something happened to Lily Evans that had never happened before. Her heart began to bleed, tears filled her eyes. A thick lump formed in her throat and suddenly Lily found it hard to breathe. She struggled, fighting the tears, but she couldn't stop herself from falling in love with him, she couldn't stop him from breaking her heart, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Lily Evans broke down and cried.

She wept bitterly, sobbing into her pillow. No matter how hard she tried, she would never forget him. James was special, she still cared for him despite the horrible things he said and did to her, she still had feelings for him despite the fact that he held nothing but hatred for her.

Oh she would certainly deny it to his face...she would tell everyone that she was over him...but it had been worth it, she would do it all over again if she had the chance. Because the truth was...

"I still love you James."

**A/N: How'd you like it? Good, Bad? The next three chapters are much better I promise. I'll probably update this weekend, sooner or on Monday. The next chapter might need some work. **

**StrawberryLove-Sama: **Yes I agree from experience. I'm going to become rich and famous one day because I'm going to find the cure for Writer's Block, after that is I find the cure for Cancer. I wish. I kind of got carried away with the Snape/Sirius part, but it was original! Sorry this is a day late, thanks for reviewing!

**Truth: **I almost murdered them, I came extremely close, it's not who you think. But someone is going to die in this story. I'm sorry to say, or in the sequel. I hate suntan lotion, but if I don't wear it I come back looking like a blistering tomato. So yeah I need to stick a huge memo on me that says: DON'T RUB YOUR EYES. Maybe then I'll figure it out. I'm glad you thought the sheep thing was funny, I loved that line too, thanks for reviewing!

**Amelia Bedelia: **Sorry this took too long, but I had to rewrite it a little bit. I love the part where Lily tells James off too! Well you can decide how James thinks of Lily right now. That's one of the parts that I added to this chapter. Who was I going to kill off? That's a secret, at the end I'll tell you. It's not who you think. Believe me. But people are going to die in this story, or in the sequel. My writing changes abruptly after the Happy Ending. I think I was depressed or something, which is why I'm so worried about the second half of this story. Thanks for reviewing!

**Animalluvr75: **I'm a day late! Sorry! I thought the sheep part was amusing too, I don't know why though, since I was obviously insane, and I'm the author. I still don't know where I got the sheep from. I mean who thinks of sheep? Apparently I do. Thanks for reviewing!

**Granger-gurl-rox: **Crazy, yes that's a very good word for that chapter. Insane, now that's an even better word for my state of mind when I wrote this chapter. You called your friend a sheep? And I thought I was weird. Only Kidding! Thanks, I guess I like making Lily and James argue. I fight all the time with everyone, so I guess that's why they fight so much. Thanks for reviewing!

**Agloechen: **Guess what you got your wish, look at the title, except Lily didn't break down in front of James. And James realizes something about himself as well, just not while holding Lily. Sorry about that one. But they are going to get together soon, I promise! You won't have to dream, by the end of this month, most likely sooner! Thanks for reviewing!

**Spawn32818: **I thought the sheep thing was sort of funny too. I still have no idea where the whole sheep scenario came from. I guess I was a little insane when I wrote this. I'm going to have to see a shrink! Thanks for reviewing!

**KristiexxNguyen: **Yeah I know I was rooting for Lily. I loved that part. I am a lot of things, but a fast updater I am not. This story is prewritten! I wrote this chapter over a year ago. I am incredibly slow, it's been two years since I started this story and I'm still not finished! So don't say I'm a fast updater! I'm probably much slower then you. Thanks for reviewing!

**Luna Lovegood: **Hola! (That's about the only word I know how to pronounce and spell!) Yo no hablo Espanol bien. I told you it was going to be bizarre. Loco? Crazy I think. I have no idea where my sanity was when I wrote the Snape and Sheep scenario. But the sheep thing still makes me laugh. La Oveja!!!! Yep James and Lily keep getting closer and things are getting risky! They're falling fast! Perhaps someday I'll get around to the other projects, but I think after I finish this I'll probably be starting something new. It'll be L/J most likely. I know I should try finishing the old but my mind jumps from one thing to the next! It was no problem, your English is practically better than mine. Speaking of which I still have summer homework(tarea?) for Espanol that I still haven't finished! And I adore reviewers who write long reviews! Thanks for reviewing!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **I'm glad you liked it, sorry the update's a day late. Thanks for reviewing!

**Icy-Magic: **It was creepy, the Snape gay thing, I agree. I'm glad you weren't offended, but I was bored, I made a mistake, so I decided to throw in something that no one's ever done before. I made Snape gay. Don't worry though, he doesn't come back into the story. Thanks for the review, and I promise nothing as weird as that! Thanks for reviewing!

**Pasmosa: **I still laugh at the sheep thing, and I've read it several times, how pathetic is that. I don't know why I thought of sheep of all things. I'm still trying to figure out where my brain was during this period of time. The ending was sort of a shock, I love that part for some reason. This chapter is all about their reactions, I hope you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!

**Flint: **Thank you Flint, I'm not really known for my humor, since I have a very weird and not so funny sarcastic sense of humor, but I'm glad that someone liked it! I'm glad you like my story so far. Thanks for reviewing!

**Elise: **I love the sheep part, it still makes me laugh and I've reread it about a hundred times. It's pathetic, really. I'm glad you found the sheep part and the chapter funny, I wasn't sure how people would react to it. And yes, Lily had her say! I loved that part too. Thanks for reviewing!

**Kita: **I know it was really creepy, but hey I wasn't in my right form of mind when I wrote it. Nothing as weird as this chapter pops up again, don't worry. Sorry this one was late, I hope you like it. Thanks for reviewing!

**Smoosebob:** I know it's difficult to explain. But basically James is in denial, so he's sort of rethinking the whole prank idea, because he has feelings for her. The Sheep was sort of the prank I guess. Though you never know, James might get the courage to pull one on her...though probably not. Sorry this chapter was a day late, thanks for reviewing!

**Swimwiththestars: **New Reader! Yay! Welcome to my dysfunctional story. I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one and continue to read and review as well. Thanks for reviewing!

**An Update is coming this weekend to a Hazel story near you. **

**Hopefully...**


	22. Dreams and Potions

**Author's Note: I realized that I won't be around this weekend, so lucky you, it's going to be a day early! I thought this chapter was a lot longer, and I was planning on splitting it and adding to both parts, but I edited it and decided to keep it like it is. **

**I still haven't decided whether I'm going to make a sequel or just keep adding onto this story. If I do, the title of the Sequel is going to be Haunted. And no it has nothing to do with the Meg Cabot series or talking to ghosts! (By the way, it's an excellent series if you're looking for an awesome read.) I already have the summary written out and it should be at least 10 chapters! But the ending ties in with this story, I'm just too confused right now. This story is so much longer than I expected!**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 22: Dreams and Potions**

_A pretty woman stood in front of the mirror. It was her wedding day. She was dressed in an expensive, dazzling white gown, adjusting the veil on her dark red hair. Her pretty face glowed with happiness as a smile formed on her delicate lips. Lily was afraid to look at the eyes. When she finally did she wasn't all that surprised to find that they were green like her own. It was an older Lily Evans, just around the age of twenty. And it was her wedding day.  
  
Lily watched herself spin around in front of the mirror and laugh. She adjusted the veil again drawing it over her face and then raising it again.  
  
"I can't believe I'm getting married." She heard herself say.  
  
Someone else laughed. Lily turned around to find what must have been her maid of Honor. An older Diane was sitting on the bed her blue gray eyes bright with happiness. Her face was smiling and her blond hair was pulled up in an elegant knot.  
  
"I can't get over the fact that you actually got engaged to him." Diane laughed.  
  
The older Lily turned and scowled.  
  
"Well you and Black are still together so it can't be that unbelievable." She teased.  
  
"I heard that you two are still very good at your disappearing act. Last night Remus said that you two were no where to be found." The older Lily grinned watching Diane's face.  
  
"You two might want to get married before there are any little Blacks running about."  
  
Diane turned deep red. The older Lily giggled.  
  
"If you weren't dressed up so nicely I would slap you across the face. Or better yet punch you." Diane threatened.  
  
"I'm in my pretty dress so I'm untouchable." Lily giggled dancing gracefully out of the angry Maid of Honor's reach._

_Just then they were interrupted by someone at the door. Sirius Black, more handsome then ever poked his head in.  
  
"Sirius!" Diane and Lily squealed.  
  
"You can't come in here!" Diane ran toward the door and pushed him out.  
  
"James isn't with me I swear!"  
  
Lily smiled to herself, she still hated James Potter, well that was a good thing.  
  
"It doesn't make it right!" Diane huffed but she allowed him to come and see the older Lily. Lily twirled around for them and they laughed. Sirius walked up to her and gave her a hug.  
  
"Make sure he treats you right. Or otherwise I'll kill him." Sirius threatened grinning.  
  
"Don't worry I will." She said grinning. _

_Diane snickered._

"_I don't think that will be necessary, I think Lily's fully capable of killing him herself." _

_Sirius nodded in agreement, and Lily blushed.  
  
The three walked out the doorway, where a crowd of close friends had gathered.  
  
"Presenting," Diane began dramatically.  
  
"Mrs. Lily Potter."_

It had to be a mistake. Lily woke up in a sweat with one thought in her mind, it was only a dream, or a nightmare. Her stomach churned with the thought of her marrying James Potter. She suddenly felt awful. She ran to the bathroom and threw up. Afterward she felt better, after all it had only been a dream, or a nightmare. It wasn't real.  
  
"You okay Lily?" Mary asked sleepily.  
  
Lily nodded and got back into bed.  
  
"Was it another nightmare?" Mary asked rubbing her eyes.  
  
"No, yes." She murmured nodding her head.  
  
"What happened?" Mary asked suddenly interested.  
  
"I got married to James Potter." Lily blurted out without thinking.  
  
Mary started laughing uncontrollably.

Lily threw a pillow at Mary, but she missed. Mary continued to laugh, successfully waking up the other two girls. She managed to in between laughter tell them of Lily's dilemma and soon the whole dormitory, minus Lily, was clutching their sides. Lily quickly ran out of pillows to throw at the three of them, and had to sit there listening to them practically bawling their eyes out.  
  
It was not exactly how Lily was planning on starting her day.

Good thing Lily didn't know how James started his day.

* * *

_James stood in front of the altar. Sirius Black, his best man was standing beside him, grinning like a fool, as usual.  
  
"I saw her." He whispered to James with a grin. The music was starting up again, soon she would be here.  
  
"She looked amazing. I wonder if maybe you don't deserve her." Sirius joked. James punched him in the shoulder. Sirius was quiet after that but continued to grin.  
  
The music got louder and with a pounding heart James turned to look at the girl he loved that was starting down the aisle. He couldn't see her face it was hidden by the veil but he could tell just by the way his heart stopped beating that she was stunning. The space between them was gone in seconds and she came and took his arm.  
  
He removed the veil from her face, smiling and came face to face with...  
  
**LILY EVANS?**_

"Evans!" He sat up with a jolt. His eyes were wide with fright. He had just had a dream in which he had married none other then Lily Evans. He had married his enemy!  
  
He concentrated on getting his breathing and heart back to the normal heart rate. It had only been a dream, he told himself firmly. More like a nightmare he mused.  
  
But she had looked so beautiful in that white dress, her green eyes stunning. Her long red curls had been elegantly pulled up. She had looked amazing, dazzling, simply beautiful.  
  
He had to snap out of this. He turned over onto his side and attempted to go back to sleep, but when visions of Evans continued to fill his dreams he decided it was time to wake up. There was something very wrong with him, he thought to himself as he dressed. Dreaming of your enemy just wasn't right. But it wasn't just any enemy, it was Lily Evans. He needed to stop this.

It was at breakfast when the real trouble began...  
  
The gang was just sitting down. James was already there, trying desperately to wake himself up. Sirius with Diane beside him, sat down, shooting him a curious look. Mary and Remus sat down across from them, laughing about some inside joke. Lily and Taylor arrived minutes later, with Taylor going straight to Ravenclaw table.  
  
James didn't hear what Sirius was asking him, he was watching Lily as she slid into a seat next to Mary, across from him. She looked up and raised an eyebrow in his direction. It took James a moment to realize he was staring at her. Quickly he looked away and submerged himself in the Daily Prophet, from yesterday.  
  
"What's up with him?" Diane mouthed to Sirius. Sirius could only shrug, but he decided he was going to find out.  
  
"Hey Prongs what are you reading there?" Sirius asked looking down at the paper.  
  
"It's an interesting article." James answered hurriedly, not even realizing he had the paper upside down.  
  
"Here let me help you." Sirius pried the paper loose from James' hands and turned it around so that it was the right side up.  
  
"I was reading that." James hissed.  
  
"I know I just thought that this might be a help." Sirius said giving it back to him, no longer upside down.  
  
"What'd you do that for?" He asked angrily.  
  
"It was upside down." Sirius remarked. A few people snickered.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So what are you reading about?" Sirius leaned over James shoulder and glanced at the title.  
  
"International Cauldron Industry, Why Width Matters. It sounds _fascinating_." Sirius remarked.  
  
Diane giggled and Lily hid a smile behind a hand. Remus snorted and Mary just merely grinned glancing between Lily and James.  
  
"It is." James grumbled. He was turning red.  
  
"But I can't read it with you peering over my shoulder." With that last comment James got up and left the room.

"That went well." Diane drawled.  
  
"He's not himself today, is he?" Lily asked trying to hide a grin.  
  
"I'll go see what's up with him." Sirius said getting up from the table. He kissed Diane on the cheek and then followed James out the door.  
  
It didn't take long for Sirius to catch up with his best friend. James was standing just outside of the Entrance doors. He was staring out at the lake with his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Hey James." Sirius greeted him cheerfully.  
  
"Hey." James said pathetically.  
  
"I'm going to come right out and say it. What's wrong with you today?" Sirius asked turning to his friend.  
  
James looked up at him with a blank expression on his face. He rubbed his face and once again let his eyes stray back to the lake. He took a few steps forward but Sirius followed, determined to not let him get away.  
  
"Come on, don't lie to me." Sirius pleaded.  
  
James kept walking.  
  
"Oh come on James, just tell me what's going on!" Sirius raised his voice and stopped walking. To his surprise James paused as well and turned around to face him.  
  
"It's Evans." He sighed.  
  
Sirius wanted to laugh and yell, "you're just realizing it now!" but he remained silent.  
  
"What about Evans?" Sirius pried.  
  
"It's well, I don't really know. That's the problem with me. She took advantage of me, and I want to kill her. But then again it's, well I don't really know what's going on." He stopped suddenly, kicking at the grass down at his feet.  
  
"Maybe you like her James?" Sirius said quietly.  
  
James said nothing. Sirius decided he had to continue.  
  
"You love her don't you?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
Wrong move Sirius, very bad move. James' head jerked up and his eyes flashed angrily. The warmth left them and his face had gone red. His mouth was frowning. He glared at Sirius, like never before.  
  
"Evans is my enemy! That's just sick!" He exclaimed angrily. He would have gone on, but suddenly it seemed he was lost for words. He was shaking so much that he was unable to continue.

James was already mad at him, so Sirius decided that it wouldn't hurt to cross into the danger zone again.  
  
"For Merlin's sake James, come to grips with yourself. Tell her how you feel, and kiss the damn girl!"  
  
Sirius stomped off, leaving a very shocked James, blinking in the sunlight.  
  
"Well you can see what he knows." James muttered to a shocked first year.  
  
Then he too went into the castle, careful to avoid any sign of his best friend.

* * *

"I hate Potions!" Mary grumbled as the four girls sat down at their usual tables.  
  
"Hey at least you don't have a Selfish Jerk as a partner." Lily said cheerfully.  
  
"And who might that be?" Taylor asked dumbly.  
  
"We'll give you three guesses Taylor..." Diane laughed.  
  
"Snape?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Uh, Peter?"  
  
"Guess again."  
  
Taylor bit her lip.  
  
"Oh I know! That cow of a boy who sits in the back of the room and stares at Diane all class."  
  
"What?" Diane exclaimed.  
  
"That boy, you know, over there-"  
  
"That's Snape again." Mary giggled.

"HE"S GAY!" Diane was horrified.

"No he's Bi." Mary exchanged a look with Lily and they giggled.  
  
"Oh! No the one next to him."  
  
"No not him either."  
  
"Who then?" Taylor asked.  
  
"JAMES POTTER!" Lily burst out angrily.  
  
"But I thought you liked him?" Taylor said, her brow creasing with puzzlement.  
  
"Hell no!" Lily denied it. Secretly it took every ounce of her to lie to her friends. But then again it wasn't lying because she didn't just _like_ James Potter, she loved him.  
  
"But-" Taylor stuttered.  
  
"Shhh. Everyone knows she likes him but she just won't admit it." Mary hissed loudly enough for Lily to hear.  
  
Lily's face turned Gryffindor red and she whacked Mary's head with her very large and heavy, Potion's book.  
  
"OUCH!" Mary exclaimed. She switched seats with Taylor, safely out of range of anymore flying books.

"Alright class, get with your partners. I want you to start working right away. And today there shall be no incidents, got that?" The Professor glared at Lily, who in turn glared at James. There was a murmuring of replies and the students moved to sit with their partners.  
  
"I'll go get the ingredients." James said. He went over to where Sirius was now sitting, at the opposite end of the table from Snape.  
  
"Ahem, I am your conscious speaking."  
  
James looked up in surprise. Someone was talking to him.  
  
"Yes it is I, your stupid conscious that no longer has a say in anything. How did I ever get this job in the first place if you never listen to me." It continued. James was getting scared.  
  
"Yes I am talking to you buddy. First things first, things are going to change around here, you work for me not the other way around."  
  
"Now that I've got that straight. You Love Lily Evans."  
  
James was now suspicious.  
  
"You want to kiss her, you want to hold her in your arms and dance with her. I know you want to-"  
  
James whipped around and Sirius was caught red handed.  
  
"KNOCK IT OFF SIRIUS!" James yelled.  
  
Sirius looked guiltily about and quickly ended the spell with a wave of his wand. James silently hoped that only he had been able to hear what had been said. He turned around hearing laughter and giggles and found that the whole class was looking at him. James ground his teeth, barely stopping himself from killing Sirius on the spot. First the whole "you love Lily" thing by the lake, now this, Sirius was a dead man.  
  
"You're going to get it later." He hissed as he went back to the table where Lily was sitting. Her cheeks were flushed and she was trying her best to avoid looking at him at all costs.  
  
"It's not true." He muttered.  
  
"Oh come on James I know you _want_ me." She said tauntingly.  
  
"Shut it Evans." He snapped.  
  
"Not in a good mood today, are we Potter?" She grinned, enjoying the teasing thoroughly.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Those aren't very good manners Potter. What did your mother teach you about talking to a lady?" Lily grinned.

"She told me to be polite, but you're not a lady Evans so I don't have to be." James retorted.  
  
"Think what you want Potter, but I know your deepest darkest desires. In fact the whole class knows." She laughed and dumped in the porcupine quills.  
  
"And I know yours." He smirked as her eyes widened and then suddenly narrowed.  
  
She finally noticed the writing hovering in the air in back of him. It was written in red sparks with little hearts fluttering about.  
  
_Lily Evans Loves James Potter_  
  
The class snickered. Lily's eyes went wide and then narrowed. Her face was extremely pale then it went red and then white again. She snapped her wrist and it was gone, dissolving into the air. He smirked, and suddenly Lily wanted nothing more then to wipe that silly smirk of his from his face.

And just like that Lily Evans snapped, again.  
  
"That's it Potter, this is the last time!" She took a step back and suddenly turned flinging a curse at him. His hair stood straight up as if he had been shocked.  
  
"Evans!" He flung a curse at her as she darted to the other side of the table. She blocked the first one. But she wasn't prepared for the second one. Her hair turned hot pink, and moments later so did her robe.  
  
"Pink looks nice on you." He murmured with a smug look.  
  
"It looks stunning on you, James." She grinned and his robes and hair turned pink as well.  
  
Lily's shoes were suddenly transformed into rats.  
  
"Yuck!"  
  
Suddenly James' robes were charmed to say, Lily Evans is my Secret Desire.  
  
"You wish Evans."  
  
The papers on the table were suddenly transformed into bats that swarmed around her and the rest of the class. The beetles eyes in her hand were suddenly transformed into beetles that ran up her arm.  
  
"Ugh!"  
  
James suddenly felt something bubble up in his stomach and he was suddenly on the floor, wriggling and giggling like there was no tomorrow. His nose had grown four inches and there was a huge bump on his head that was growing larger as they fought.  
  
"That's for your ego Potter." Lily smirked even as she cleared away the bugs.  
  
She didn't realize that the Professor was standing right behind her.

"Ms. Evans, Mr. Potter." The Professor glared down at the two of them.  
  
Lily turned around and gulped. She turned as pink as her hair and robes.  
  
"Hello Professor Tomorrow."  
  
"What on earth is going on here?" The Professor cried.  
  
"Uh, James and I we were just working on our potion, yes that was all we were doing."  
  
"Pink hair, pink robes, bats, beetles, secret desires, bumps, long noses and declarations of love, that's what you call working on your potion."  
  
Lily gulped again and nodded weakly.  
  
"Then let me tell you what you're going to do next Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter. You're going to report to my office for Detention at 8 o'clock tonight and then we'll talk about Potions." She glared down at them.  
  
"Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes Professor." Lily said bowing her head.  
  
James couldn't reply he was giggling as a result of Lily's spell.  
  
"Oh for Merlins sake!" The Professor did the counter curse and a very red James got to his feet.  
  
"8 o'clock, you hear me?!"  
  
"Yes Professor." They murmured glaring hatefully at one another.  
  
"Now back to work, all of you!" She went back to her desk.  
  
"I'm going to kill you." Lily hissed.  
  
"Cool it Pinky, you were the one that started it." James smirked.  
  
"I did n-" She realized she was still in bright pink and quickly did the counter curse.  
  
For the remainder of the class, the two of them did not speak. They made sure that they were never within twenty feet of each other for the rest of the day. But they still had to report to Detention, and that, was another situation...

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter...DETENTION PART II. Remember what happened the last time they had detention? This should be extremely interesting.**

**THANK YOU, MY WONDERFUL, INCREDIBLE, AMAZING(I sound like Sirius now, sucking up to Diane) REVIEWERS FOR 250! I've never gotten past 117 on any of my stories. Then again I've never written anything nearly as long as this, but still it's overwhelming for me. So I thank you again, 250 is a very big number for me. I think I'll go play that number, oh wait I'm not of legal age, forget that idea. But thanks again!**

**StrawberryLove-Sama: **Yea James is going to come around...very soon. I know if he doesn't I think I'm going to kill him off in the story, or give him a life threatening dangerous moment. No don't worry, he's going to come around, I'll make him come around! Thanks for reviewing!

**Agloechen: **It would've been a romantic scene, I agree, it's a shame I didn't think about it beforehand, over a year ago when I was writing this. I'm trying not to change anything, if I had rewrote the whole thing, starting with the beginning it wouldn't have been as funny for me, and it would've been a lot longer, more descriptions and boring stuff. I know I feel terrible for my Lily, I've put her through so much! But it will all be worth it in the end! Thanks for reviewing!

**smoosebob: **Not a problem, I've been busy too! Thanks for taking the time to review this one! I'll keep the chapters coming!

**Truth: **Couldn't resist, I love watching the coming attractions at the movie theater! I think everyone agrees Lily and James are both being tragically tortured by the author. And Taylor, I love that part where she comes in, reminds me of something a friend of mine once did. Don't worry though, the end is near! (I sound like something out of a scary movie.) Thanks for reviewing!

**Elise: **They're going to reconcile, very soon, I promise you it's coming! I'm glad your enjoying the story and I hope you like this chapter as well! Thanks for reviewing!

**Twistedtwin: **No one's died yet! I think that they kill people off because they enjoy making the readers suffer, no I'm kidding, though sometimes I believe that's what some author's do. I guess it just adds to the drama and it's just the way that I picture it. With the Dark Lord and everything, people are going to die, you know? I'm glad you still like the story! Thanks for reviewing!

**Misakichi1: **James is extremely thick headed, it's not really something he's going to admit out loud. But don't worry the Big BANG is coming, quite literally, keep that in mind. The update is sooner than this weekend! Aren't you proud of me! Thanks for reviewing!

**Granger-gurl-rox: **Yep I have been working on this for two years. I am an extremely slow writer. And yes there are 10 more chapters! I believe. Well right now I have 22, but this was supposed to be ch. 14 so there's going to be at least 10 more I figure, because I have to break them down because they are all way too long. Get my drift? James and Lily are definitely headed in the right direction, though this chapter may seem like a back track. But they are! You are so lucky, you have until the 9th! I refuse to speak to you. But hey, look who's going to be talking when I get out earlier! Nah! Nah!

**Catnap713: **I'm glad you like this story and I am flattered, but there are so many L/J stories out there that are better than mine, like AmeliaBedelia's **Light**! Will I continue until their death? Hmm. Well, the endings almost completed, I know I'm going up to graduation and I may write an epilogue with one chapter or a few, I don't know yet, but count on graduation and an epilogue for now.

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **I'm glad you're still reading this story! Thanks for reviewing!

**Amelia Bedelia: **Thanks I liked that line too, it was irony. I know James is really thick headed, he might not end up admitting it out loud. I'm glad you liked those parts though! I wasn't sure what people were going to think of it. Yeah the ending was another thing I rewrote, I was happy with how it turned out in the end with that last line. Now you just ruined the whole movie for me! The sad part is I'll probably still go see it, forget what you told me, and say Aww or something like that too, totally surprised. I updated! And now I'm off to reply to that e-mail! Thanks for reviewing!

**firefur1: **I'm glad someone liked it! I was really worried, because I wrote the whole second half of the chapter that night, and of course I never got feedback on it. I tried something new, but I liked how it turned out, it fit nicely into this part of the story I thought. Yeah I know, it is pretty funny, but as I was going through my old posts I was like oh wow! I was completely shocked that I had been writing it for that long and I just had to share it with everyone else. Thanks for the congrats and thanks for reviewing!

**penname2004: **I know I'm slow! Sorry! This is actually pretty fast for me, believe it or not. Thanks for reviewing!

**Thanks again for 250! **

**Next Update: Um...? Sometime this week, maybe Monday or Tuesday, I don't know it depends on how fast I can edit this and when I'm coming back. **


	23. The Final Battle

**Author's Note: This is so incredibly late! I know! I'm really sorry. I've had school and work, both are a pain and time consuming. The good news is that the next chapter is completely finished. It will be the last chapter of this part of the story. So if you're bored with this story, only one more chapter. And if you're not well I will be A) adding to this story or B) starting a sequel. I still haven't decided. And I haven't even looked to see if I have it all, since I've been experiencing some minor technical difficulties, but this part of the story has only one more chapter after this one! So it'll be 24 and then well we'll see what happens after that.

* * *

**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 23: The Final Battle**

**HOURS LATER **  
  
"Divination is over! Finally I thought I would never escape. I thought she would talk me to death." Mary complained.  
  
"It's either that or dying of boredom." Diane said smirking.  
  
Dropping their books, they sat down at the Gryffindor table with Remus and Sirius.  
  
"Hey, does it seem like something's missing?" Mary asked Remus.  
  
"Half of the group's gone. Where's everyone else?" Remus asked.  
  
"Oh, James is probably up in the Gryffindor Common Room sulking, or outside on his broom sulking." Sirius told them.  
  
"Lily too, that's where I imagine she is, in the Common Room or the dormitories, sulking. I wish my life was over, that's what I caught her saying." Diane said rolling her eyes.  
  
"Why-wait didn't they get detention in Potions?" Remus asked.  
  
"Yea, they have it together tonight. Isn't it funny how things work out?" Mary grinned suddenly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Well all of this," She motioned to everyone else. "Began with one detention that Lily and James had together." Mary said smiling. She glanced up at Remus and her eyes lit up.  
  
"I wouldn't be with Remus if it wasn't for them."

Diane snorted as if she thought differently. But Mary ignored her and kept talking.

"You and Sirius, just look at you two! And Lily and James would probably be dead or in Azkaban."  
  
The others laughed at Mary's last comment.  
  
"Well it's the truth, they were on a war path, murdering the other was their motivation in life." Mary said awkwardly.  
  
"I wonder how this Detention will change our lives." Sirius said looking up.  
  
They stared at each other. Taking in the new friendship that had formed, the new romances that had bloomed, and the fact that they were still alive, they wondered what was to come. But it was still a mystery.  
  
Only time would tell. It all rested on the decision of two enemies that were once upon a time lovers.

"We're doomed." Diane groaned reading their minds.

But what she didn't know was that fate, was about to step in.

* * *

"Darn Detention, curse Tomorrow, I hate Potions." Lily grumbled. She threw down her books and dropped onto the bed.  
  
Staring up at the ceiling, she shut her eyes. She could remember clearly how the last detention had gone. Lily Evans had lost her temper, and had paid very dearly for it. Though she had to admit, having James Potter worship her had been extremely amusing, in the end the spell had cost her heart. James obviously was never going to change. If anything he was crueler than before, and who could blame him for that. But then again, Lily wasn't looking at the big picture. She didn't know James' side of the story. With a soft sigh she rolled over and picked up her Charms Book and opened it.

* * *

James slammed the Charms Book shut and sat up. Dropping it onto the floor, he stared blankly into space. He had detention with Evans that very night. Why did this have to happen? The last detention had been a disaster. Lily had got him back for all seven years in one mere night of detention. But was it such a bad thing? Sure it had been humiliating, but he could remember something else. He could still feel her warm embrace, still see those loving green eyes, he still knew the feel of her lips upon his, her gentle caress and her quiet voice. James began to wonder if perhaps it had been more than just a memory charm that had drawn him to her. 

Maybe, just maybe, it had been his heart's opportunity to shine. James thought it was crazy, but why then did he always feel his heart speed up when he looked into Evan's green emerald colored eyes. Perhaps the memory charm had given him an opportunity to express his true feelings.  
  
"That's ridiculous." James said aloud. He had to do something to keep his mind off of everything. He reached down and picked up the Charms Book, Lily Evans's favorite subject. It was as if his conscious really was talking to him.  
  
James couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed his wand and left the Dormitories, only to slam right into someone else. He was walking so fast that he had knocked the person down.

"I'm sorry." He said reaching to help the person up. As soon as he saw the slender hand that fit so perfectly into his, he knew. There was a spark, so obvious and strong that they could almost see it as their fingers touched. Alarmed she drew back her hand, pushed the red locks out of her face and looked at him with those beautiful emerald eyes.  
  
"James!"  
  
"Lily!"  
  
"What are you doing here?" They asked at the same time.  
  
Obviously neither of them would say that they were thinking of the other.  
  
"I asked you first." Lily said.  
  
"No, I asked you first." James said.  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes."

It was the beginning of yet another one of their infamous battles. They could go on for decades. As soon as Remus and Mary walked into the common room and heard the angry shouts reach their ears, their laughter stopped and they groaned. Mary grabbed Remus and started pulling him towards the portrait, but Remus did something unexpected and stopped her.

He turned around and started walking towards the staircase where Lily and James currently battling it out.

"What are you doing?" She asked, following him fearfully. She didn't want him to get hurt if Lily or James decided to take out their wands.

"I'm sick of this." Remus said through gritted teeth. "It has to stop, right now."

"But Remus you know it's hopeless." Mary protested.

"Hopeless? Like what they're doing right now is hopeful."

"They won't listen." Mary countered.

"I'll make them listen." Remus growled.

Mary didn't protest, but she took out her wand just in case.  
  
"I asked you first."  
  
"No I asked you first."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"SHUT UP!" They turned around to find Remus and Mary standing at the bottom of the staircase. Mary had her hands clamped over her ears and her wand out.  
  
"Are you done yet?" She asked wearily.  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No."

"DONT START!" Mary exclaimed wincing.

"It was his fault!"  
  
"She started it!"  
  
"STOP IT!" Remus bellowed.  
  
Lily and James stopped immediately, not prepared for the outburst of their normally quiet friend.  
  
"All you ever do is argue. You bicker and contradict each other on everything. Can't you shut up or stop it altogether? Can't you just be normal and keep it to yourself or do it when no one's around? You don't even have a reason for fighting with each other!" Remus yelled, turning red with anger. Mary's eyes glanced fearfully from Lily to James, fingering her wand protectively.  
  
But Lily and James looked taken aback. They had not expected this.

"We do have a reason!" James insisted.  
  
"Enlighten me..." Remus drawled.  
  
Time passed slowly. The seconds ticked by feeling like years. Lily and James forced themselves to think, wondering what exactly they were fighting about. They could think of nothing, except the fact that perhaps they enjoyed arguing with each other, which was absolutely ridiculous because they hated each other.  
  
"See..." Remus trailed off looking very satisfied. Mary too looked smug.  
  
Lily and James could only stare. James even opened his mouth, pointed at Lily and then was suddenly lost for words. Lily only got a far away look in her emerald eyes as she realized what Remus was getting at.  
  
"Don't you two have a date?" Remus asked.  
  
"What?!" Lily and James exclaimed in unison. They were both horrified at the idea.  
  
"Detention....Does it ring a bell?" Mary asked trying to get it into their thick skulls.  
  
"Right..."  
  
"Oh yea..."  
  
Mary and Remus walked past the two heading for the Dormitories. Remus whispered something to Mary that sounded like "I told you so" and they laughed. Lily and James could only watch as they went up the winding staircase and disappeared.  
  
Then slowly Lily tore her eyes away from the darkened stairwell and started down the steps. James watched her go and suddenly ran after her.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" He growled.  
  
"Detention." She laughed.  
  
James grumbled and reluctantly followed Lily out of the portrait and into the hallway. They started down the winding passage of corridors, quickly starting another argument, on their way to the dungeons. They were blissfully unaware that they were about to meet their destiny...

* * *

Professor Tomorrow sat at her desk drumming her fingers on the desk with anticipation. Where were those two? Perhaps they stunned each other on the way down, she thought to herself. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. This was Lily and James they were talking about.  
  
She heard them coming first. Not just footsteps echoing off the walls, but their loud voices. As usual they were engaged in their favorite pastime, arguing.  
  
"Well you were the one who started it!"  
  
"I did not. It was you that decided to get on my nerves!"  
  
"Oh yeah suuuure. And I suppose it was my fault that my cauldron "mysteriously" transformed into a sheep the other day."  
  
"Actually it was."  
  
"I can't do Transfiguration!"  
  
"Ah ha, you admit it Evans, that I am better then you at Transfiguration!"  
  
"You just figured that one out now!? Where have you been the last 7 years!?"  
  
Yes, that was Lily and James alright. And the sad part was that they were still a long way off. Their voices carried through out the dungeons, so practically the whole school could hear those two. But it was perfectly normal. It was a daily occurrence at Hogwarts. 

There was a pause and it seemed that poor James was lost for words.  
  
"Do you want me to get my wand out Evans?" He said angrily.  
  
Lily laughed.  
  
"This is the problem with you James. You can't hold a normal conversation without deciding to take out your wand and kill me."  
  
"Well I wouldn't do that if it wasn't for you being such a lying, cheating" James continued to use some choice words that Professor Tomorrow did not like.  
  
"Mr. POTTER!" The Professor bellowed stepping into the doorway.  
  
"and you're, uh hello Professor." James said innocently. Lily was rolling her eyes. The words seemed to have passed right over her.  
  
"Mr. Potter I don't ever want to catch you saying those words again. Understand me? Or it's another four months of detention."  
  
"Yes Ma'am."  
  
"Alright now you two, get in here."  
  
Lily and James meekly followed the Professor into the classroom. The Professor sat down on one of the desks beckoning for them to sit on the two chairs in front of her. James took one and moved it over five feet away from Lily's seat before finally sitting down.  
  
"That's not really necessary." Professor Tomorrow said narrowing her eyes, but James ignored her.  
  
"What do we have to do?" Lily asked with a sigh.  
  
"You must clean every cauldron in this room. They must be scrubbed from top to bottom until they shine like crystal clear glass. Got that clear?" She said sternly looking them in the eye.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But Professor where are the cauldrons?" Lily asked.  
  
Professor Tomorrow grinned and snapped her fingers. Suddenly the tables were filled with cauldrons. Lily and James both groaned, realizing that it was physically impossible to clean every one of them.  
  
"No protesting or I'll report you to Professor McGonagall. You know how fond she is of putting you two in detention together."  
  
They both shut up. Lily reached into her pocket and realized that she had her wand. With her wand she could probably finish the job in no time. Professor Tomorrow, humming to herself, started walking out the door. Lily crossed her fingers hoping that she wouldn't come back in and say-  
  
"Oh by the way" The Professor stuck her head back in the doorway and grinned.  
  
"No wands." Lily and James' wands flew from their fingers. The Potion's Professor caught them and thriving on their misery, she walked away whistling.

Lily was steaming. Smoke was practically coming out of her ears. She stood up from the chair and walked over to the cauldrons. Why did she have to be in the same room as him?! Detention lasted 4-5 hours. She couldn't survive that long with him even if she had her wand. How long would she last with him, without her wand? Lily decided that she would just have to try her best and ignore him. For once, perhaps James would get it into his thick skull and do the same. But the chances of that happening were highly unlikely.  
  
Lily walked over to the first table and James did the same. Looking up their eyes met.  
  
"This is my table." Lily hissed.  
  
"I was here first." James insisted.  
  
"But I sit here." She protested  
  
"Too bad."  
  
"Leave, I don't want to have to work near you." Lily ordered pointing to the furthest table away.  
  
"No you." James would not do as Lily told him to do.  
  
"No you will leave." Lily folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.  
  
"No!"  
  
"I'm staying here."  
  
"Then I will too."  
  
There was a minute or two of silence. Then suddenly Lily slammed down her cauldron. Throwing up her arms in surrender, she marched off to another table.  
  
"Wait! Where are you going?" James asked turning around.  
  
"To another table, since you won't be kind enough and move!" Lily exclaimed.  
  
James watched her for a moment as she began furiously scrubbing the darn cauldrons muttering to herself about ignorant jerks. He grinned as she cleaned three cauldrons in three minutes time because of her sudden burst of anger.  
  
"What are you looking at Potter?" She snarled.  
  
James just grinned and turned back to his table. He liked it when she was mad, she looked well, she looked funny, but also in a way... well he wouldn't go there. But he liked to watch her when she was furious. James had just finished two cauldrons when he glanced back at her. She had calmed down considerably, going at a slower pace and still muttering to herself as she busily scrubbed the cauldrons.  
  
What if he could make Evans even madder? James suddenly got a wicked idea.

He glanced at the cauldrons in front of him. Professor Tomorrow may have taken his wand, but she never said he couldn't use magic. James stared at his hands, just this once perhaps he could cheat and get things done a little faster. For some reason though, James couldn't bring himself to do that. Instead he did it the old fashioned way, sloppily cleaning the remaining cauldrons at his station.  
  
Time for his idea, he thought grinning inwardly. Silently he walked over to another table where Evans was now scrubbing away at the cauldrons. He waited until she was done and then reached for the same cauldron as she did. Lily tugged at it, and then her head jerked up and she saw James. Immediately she frowned, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"What do you want!?"  
  
"This cauldron." James said sweetly.  
  
"It's mine." Lily pulled at the cauldron but James had a firm grip on it and was much stronger then her. He enjoyed watching her struggle. They engaged in a tug of war, Lily pulling, and James just holding on and getting her angrier and angrier.  
  
"Fine have it!" Lily said letting go.  
  
James stumbled backwards and placed the cauldron back on the table. He hurriedly cleaned it and then waited for Lily to reach for another cauldron again.  
  
"Potter QUIT IT!"  
  
James just merely grinned and they began to tug and pull at it again. Lily once again gave up. But instead of engaging in yet another tug of war she went stomping off to another table. Now he had done it. James knew that it would do him no good to go over there. Lily might do something dangerous, like punch him or kick him. Once in their third year Lily had shocked him, by beating him up when he hid her wand.

He did not want that to happen again.  
  
It was time for the second part of his wicked idea. That had been nothing, this was the real fun part of it.  
  
He waited until Lily was once again distracted by her work. Then he filled a cauldron with water up to the very top. This would be an excellent time to exercise his wandless magic. James looked longingly at the cauldron, and made a fast decision. The Professor would never know, and besides he technically wasn't using it to clean the cauldrons, although he was using it to clean someone else...  
  
The cauldron suddenly moved into the air. James concentrated on it, cautiously watching Evans out of the corner of his eye. The water slopped about, some dripping onto the floor, but luckily Evans was still consumed by her busy work. He would need to continue to practice it. Watching the water filled cauldron move through the air James couldn't help but grin. This was going to be hilarious.  
  
The cauldron continued on its journey across the room. James waited until it was just where he wanted it. Carefully he tilted it, just a little more, it wasn't quite where he wanted it but it would still...  
  
Water poured out of the cauldron, right onto Lily Evans. The girl shrieked. The cauldron went zipping back to James, landing with the others. James caught a glimpse of her soaked clothes, wide angry eyes, and her open mouth, before he quickly turned around. Smothering the laughter, and desperately trying to get the image of the dripping wet Evans out of his head, James began to hastily clean a cauldron.  
  
"What the?!" Lily began glancing around her, trying to figure out what had happened. But James was innocently cleaning his cauldron with his back turned to her.  
  
She tugged at her soggy robes attempting vainly to straighten them. It had been a direct hit at her back and shoulders. This was not an accident, it had been done intentionally. And she knew exactly who had done it. The angry red head glared at the mischievous prankster, eyeing the shoulders that were now shaking with suppressed laughter.

Lily Evans had never been one to let James Potter win, and this scenario was no exception to the rule. One word came to mind: Pay back.  
  
It was time for a little revenge.

"Potter did you do this?!" She exclaimed marching over to him.  
  
"Do what- Oh Lily you're all wet. What happened? You couldn't even handle the task of cleaning cauldrons?!" James smirked as he surveyed her dripping wet clothes.  
  
"Don't get cute with me Potter. I know it was you." She hissed in reply.  
  
"But Lily, I've been here all along, washing the cauldrons." James said innocently.  
  
"Exactly." Lily said smiling.  
  
James was thrown off course. He of course didn't know that Lily and everyone else knew his little secret; that he could do wandless magic. James didn't know that he was busted and Lily was about to do something about it.  
  
"Lily there's no way I could reach you from over there. You're just making up some story to get me in trouble for your clumsiness." He turned back to his work and whistling he began to clean another cauldron.  
  
"I believe you Potter." Lily said sincerely.  
  
"You do?" He asked very confused at her behavior.  
  
Lily nodded, looking as innocent as she could. She took a step toward James.  
  
"That's why-" Lily took the cauldron from behind her back and dumped it on him. James whole chest and shoulders was now soaked. (Lily couldn't reach his head, she was too short) Grinning at his shocked expression Lily walked back to her own station.  
  
"That's pay back Potter." She snapped, though she was still grinning like a lunatic.  
  
Silently fuming, James turned back to the cauldrons. His hand grabbed another and using his wandless magic water suddenly filled it. Grinning evilly, James turned around and started toward the naive Lily Evans.  
  
This war was not over yet. Oh no, it was only beginning.

The cauldron tipped, the water poured out and Lily Evans gasped as freezing cold water slid off her head and went down her robes. She bit down on her lip hard, to prevent herself from screaming every curse that she could think of. She wiped the water from her face, carefully pushing the soggy curls out of her eyes. Then she turned to the grinning, devilishly handsome, James Potter.

"You _did not_ just do what I think you did."

"I believe that I _did_ just do what you think I did." James replied.  
  
The cauldron in back of James suddenly filled with water.  
  
"Then you know what this means, James, right?" She asked him crossing her arms across her chest.  
  
"What?" He was still grinning.  
  
The cauldron moved higher, and suddenly it was hovering just above his head. But instead of going for Lily Evans, it began to tip slowly, wobbling dangerously close to James Potter's tousled dark hair.  
  
"This, James,"  
  
The cauldron turned over, the water sloshed out. James Potter's head and shoulders were suddenly soaked. His hair was sopping wet, his eyes were glaring and his face was full of surprise.  
  
"means war." Lily finished.  
  
The two met each others gaze, and Lily smirked. Then suddenly with his incredible quidditch reflexes, James grabbed the half filled cauldron that he had been cleaning, tossing the water at her. The water went into her face. Lily spluttered spitting out the water. An expression pain crossed her face.

James was puzzled by her actions as she kept her eyes closed and covered them.

Lily turned around and walked over to the nearest table, still keeping her hands over her eyes. James was afraid that she might walk into it.

"Evans?" He asked following her over to the table.

"I've got soap in my eyes! You're going to die!" She exclaimed in what sounded like a trembling voice. James winced knowing full well how it felt when soap got in your eyes. Lily had used this trick on him once when they were in their fourth year.

James started toward her, but Lily pushed him roughly to the side as she reached out blindly for the sink. She turned on the water. Cupping her hands beneath it she brought the water to her face. He couldn't believe it but he actually felt sorry for what he had done. It was out of line, especially since they didn't have their wands.

"Owwww." Lily moaned loudly so that James could hear.

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned, though it seemed that she was going to dramatic measures.

Lily sniffed in reply.

"What do you think?" She snapped, moving so that her back was to him.

James sighed and reaching out he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Look I'm really-"

Lily suddenly spun around with a full cauldron in her arms and a defenseless James only inches away from her face. She threw the water at him, soaking him right through. James was boiling, realizing what the clever girl had done. She faked it all, and filled the cauldron without him noticing.

"That's it Lily, I've had it!" He lunged toward her, but Lily was prepared. When James chased her back to the table, Lily grabbed the second cauldron that she had cleverly hidden and filled in the sink. James was once again hit in the face with a wave of water. Blinded, James stumbled to a halt. By the time he dried his glasses Lily had whisked off to another table on the opposite side of the room and was filling up a new supply of ammunition.

James dipped a cauldron beneath the faucet that Lily had left turned on. He summoned a group of empty cauldrons to his table.

"No fair!" Lily protested frowning. "You can use magic and I can't!"

James grinned wickedly.

"You should have thought of that my dear flower, before we started this war."

"It was you started it!"

"Ah yes, but you insisted on continuing it."

"I couldn't let you win!"

"Did you expect me to sit back and lose?" James asked with a snort.

"We were even!" Lily insisted.

"We were until you decided to pull that little act of yours."

It was Lily who smirked, as she replied with a sly grin.

"You didn't have to fall for it."

That wicked witch!

The words hit home. Why had he gone over and tried to help her? His mind whirled as one question led to another. Why had he fallen under he spell?

"_You didn't have to fall for it." _

He didn't have to fall for her. It was only a memory charm. There are no love spells!

Could it be that perhaps, maybe, he had never hated Evans after all? James looked up and met those sparkling green eyes, that sly grin, and the beautiful face framed by her damp red hair. Why did he crumble whenever he looked at her, why did his heart pound, why did his breath come short and why did he dream of marrying her and long to hold her and kiss her like he used to?

He knew the answer! It was so simple, so clear!

_I...love...**her**?! _

**_I Love Lily Evans!

* * *

_**

**A/N: **_No kidding James, you idiot! It's about time! _

_Next chapter: the final chapter in this segment of the story. _

_Again I apologize for the long wait, right now I'm so worn out from school (two major tests tomorrow and an essay). I was going to write up the review replies, but it would take probably until this weekend and I would like to post the next chapter this weekend. So next time, review replies I promise. Right now I'm just too tired, sorry. _

_Thanks to_** Waitingfor6**, **J.E.A.R.K.Potter**, **Isidar Mithrim**, **Amelia Bedelia, Truth, StrawberryLove, spawn32818, penname2004, smoosebob, Elise, Granger-gurl-rox, Agloechen, Icy-magic, Luna Lovegood, Rose Lily Potter, Carlee, LMDGlUVR4EVA, animalluvr75, Illusion of the Mind, LCH8292, canuckaholic, firefur1, Elmindreda13, HiddenTiger13, The 100 Original BLAH and wackyone **_for their wonderful reviews. Next chapter is finished and WILL be up soon._


	24. Fate

**Author's Note: Here's the final portion of this section of the story. I think I'm going to keep adding onto this story but I have a week or two to decide on that. I have good news, I have all of the story. I thought I had lost a document or two on one of my old computers but fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how much you like this story, I have all of them archived and I'm continuing. There's about 50,000 more words of it and I still have to write the ending. I had no idea that I wrote so much.

* * *

**

**Cursed **

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 24: Fate**

"Come on Potter just admit it, you know you love me!" Lily said sarcastically.

He turned beat red and with a wave of emotion and more strength than he had intended he sent a cauldron hurtling toward her table.

Lily gasped and ducked behind the table. The cauldron smashed into the opposite wall, bouncing off and missing Lily by pure luck as it clattered to the floor inches away from her. But James knew none of this. His heart caught in his throat and he started toward her.

"Lily?" Rapidly he strode across the room to the table where Lily was hiding behind. Finally Lily decided that she could no longer hold in her laughter without cracking a rib.  
  
Jumping up she tossed the water, getting a direct hit at James. Lily giggled, as he scowled at her. She missed the look of relief that passed over his face and the slight smile as he quickly went back to get another cauldron. Lily grabbed one of her own. Taking their water filled cauldrons the two began slowly advancing toward each other, preparing to hit their opponent.

James tossed the water at Lily, and then Lily tossed the water at James. They both missed, to their great disappointment. Running back they rushed to fill their cauldrons up again, content on making their lov-I mean-enemy lose, even if it killed them.  
  
Time after time again the two would race at each other, sloshing water about, pouring it onto each other. Ducking behind desks and tables they hid from each other deflecting the blows. But each time they raced back to gather new water, their grins had grown water. Soon laughter filled the classroom, accompanied by Lily's shrieks and giggling. The two were running around the classroom having the time of their lives. In only a short time, a war between enemies had suddenly became a playful water fight between two friends, or perhaps even ....

James had the advantage this time, he ran toward her, catching her with only a half filled cauldron of water. Lily squealed and ran away from him as James faked dumping the cauldron. Lily thinking he had dumped his water, threw her own cauldron at him. The water sloshed out, and James narrowly avoided being hit by a metal object. Lily's hands went to her mouth as she realized she was now weaponless, and James had a full cauldron of water, waiting to be dumped on her. He grinned and charged after her. She quickly darted safely behind a desk. He appeared on the other side of the desk and peeked over to look at her. She tilted her head up and her emerald eyes looked into his own. Lily looked so helpless and innocent, he almost felt sorry that she was about to lose this fight.  
  
"Give up?" He asked moving the cauldron threateningly toward her.  
  
"Never!" She exclaimed passionately.  
  
"Well then prepare for the melting stage witch!" He said tilting it. Laughing Lily chose that moment to jump up and race away. From a safe distance away she called back to him.  
  
"First you have to catch me."  
  
"Fine have it your way Lily." Grinning he raced after her.  
  
They went running through the classroom, darting between the desks and slipping and sliding across the slippery stone floor. Lily was no match for James, but James had the cauldron in his arms and wasn't about to put down his weapon. Lily didn't have time to fill up another cauldron because James was close on her heels. She could almost feel him breathing on her neck. Suddenly the footsteps stopped and Lily found that she was running in circles with no one behind her.  
  
"James?" She asked stopping.  
  
Lily looked around but saw no one but herself. She took a cautious step forward and James Potter leapt forward with a cry. Lily screamed and ran behind the closest desk. Here they were once again, James on one side and Lily on the other but this time there was no escape for the fair Lily. She was trapped!  
  
"Face it Lily Evans, you're cornered. I've caught you." James grinned mischievously down at her as Lily carefully considered what to do next. She couldn't just give in!  
  
Lily stepped to the left, so did James. Lily darted to the right, so did James. Lily made a dash toward the left and James followed meeting her at the other end.  
  
There was no escaping him!

Breathing heavily, Lily once again tried to make her escape by taking the left again. James went first to the right giving her the advantage. Lily would have probably achieved her freedom, if it wasn't for the fact that at that very moment, she slipped in a puddle of water losing her balance. And that was when fate, more specifically James stepped in, and caught her in a pair of strong arms.

Out of instinct Lily wrapped her arms unsteadily around the object that had broke her fall. Slowly James brought her back onto her feet. But Lily was still off balance, still clinging to him, perhaps more then before. She jerked her head up and her emerald colored eyes met his kind dark eyes. Time seemed to freeze as Lily's breath came in short gasps. Lily could almost feel his lips against hers. With a jolt she realized that she was remembering the kiss beneath the moonlight, that had happened so long ago between the two.  
  
Their faces were so close together, their hearts beating against each other. Somehow he had drawn her closer to him, or perhaps it had been the other way around. Lily found herself searching those brown eyes for some sort of sign. They held the same sparkle, the same light, that they had held that night beneath the stars. Was it a dream or was this really happening to her? Lily knew there was only one way to find out.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

There was a spark, or rather a jolt that shook her. The tingling sensation remained, racing down her spine and causing her to tremble in his arms. He was kissing her back, she was drowning in memories of their past kisses. But this wasn't the past, his foot hit the discarded cauldron. The sound startled Lily, bringing her suddenly back to reality as they broke apart.

She looked up at James Potter, her foggy mind clearing in an instant.

_I kissed him, _she realized. And then her eyes widened and her hand flew to her open mouth. _Oh no, **I** **KISSED HIM!**_

Lily panicked.

She squirmed and pulled out of his comforting embrace. Stumbling, she weakly found a table. Lily leaned against it, her mind spinning from the combination of the taste of the kiss and the horror of what she had just done. She wanted to take back the kiss, but the rules of time would not allow it. She wanted to run away as fast as she could, but she was too weak and what good was running when the past always caught up to you.

Lily dropped her head into her hands. Her eyes were blurring, filling with bitter tears. She meant to ask herself why she had done it, but instead she asked another heartfelt question.

_Why does it have to be like this? _

"It doesn't have to be."

She lifted her head, realizing that she had spoken the question aloud. Two gentle hands touched her shoulders, and gently he turned her around. She looked into his warm brown eyes, and the unreadable expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" She asked softly, her eyes searching his for answers.

"We don't have to be enemies." He whispered.

Her heart skipped a beat as she glimpsed something in his eyes, a light that she had noticed once before. Just after the disastrous detention, when he first opened his eyes and said the name Lily.

She felt his arms go around her. His hand snuck up to her cheek under the pretense of pushing a stray lock of her dark red hair behind her ear. Her cheek tingled and then began to burn beneath his warm, gentle touch.

"James?" She asked softly.

"What?"  
  
He was leaning toward her, separating the gap between them. Lily knew that it was up to her to do the rest. Could she risk another broken heart? One look in those brown eyes, and she knew the answer.

"Don't hurt me." She whispered as she moved toward him tightening her arms around his neck.

"I won't." He breathed. Then he did something that neither of them ever imagined he would ever do. James Potter kissed Lily Evans.

It was a tender kiss. He kissed her softly, and Lily gently pressed her lips against his. They were shy at first, like two young fourteen year olds kissing for the very first time. It was like their first crush, date and kiss, all rolled into one. Lily felt herself suddenly light headed, like a giddy school girl giggling about an adorable boy. But this was no ordinary kiss.  
  
James pulled her cautiously toward him, adjusting his arms around her. Lily tilted her head back further and the kiss suddenly changed. They pressed against each other, as a sudden wave of emotion over took the two teenagers. The kiss was now more passionate, expressing a feeling that had lay hidden in the depths of their hearts for too long. Now at last as their lips met, they were able to express their feelings for each other, for the first time in weeks. It ran through their veins, rushing to their lips, as they fought to get closer to each other. They had loved each other, beginning with the kiss beside the lake, and ending with that fateful day. Both of them had locked away their hearts, shutting the feelings out and vowing not to love. But now the walls had shattered like glass, their hearts finally free, and they loved.  
  
Lily trembled in his arms. She didn't want it to end. His strong arms kept her from falling. It was like a dream. Her first "true" kiss with James, was more then she had ever imagined. What could be better then this? Her mind would not register, as it was only James in her mind. She had forgotten how much she had missed him.  
  
Reluctantly they broke away from each other. Breathing heavily the two pairs of eyes met. There was no shock or surprise in their expressions. They both knew what had happened, and they did not regret it.

Lily wondered what to say to him. Her mind was still numb from the kiss that had swept her off her feet. James too, seemed shaken up from what had just happened between them. Where did they go from here? What could they say to the other? There were so many questions, so many answers that could not be found.

Then suddenly she knew exactly what to do. Moving toward him, she lay her head down on his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Closing her eyes she felt his heart beating steadily along with her own. James glanced down at the red haired girl and grinned. He put his arms around her, keeping her safe in his embrace. Stroking her long red hair he rested his chin lightly on top of her head.  
  
No words were necessary.  
  
Actions always did speak louder then words.

They stood there for the longest time, just the two of them in their own peaceful world.  
  
Lily wanted to freeze the moment, cup it in her hands and keep it with her forever. She wanted to remember the kiss, the feeling of his arms around her and their soaring hearts beating as one. But time trickled through her fingers, like grains of sand. No moment could last forever, but it would live on in her memory for as long as she lived.  
  
"Lily?" James asked softly.  
  
"Yes James?"  
  
James was silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully. Then he opened his mouth.  
  
"Does this mean you like me?"  
  
Lily laughed. James looked a little embarrassed. Obviously the words had come out wrong.  
  
"No James I hate you." Lily said sarcastically.  
  
"You didn't like my kiss?" James asked raising his eyebrows, grinning.  
  
"I've had better." Lily said smirking. James snorted loudly.  
  
"What I have! I may not have got around to as many people as you have, but I've had my share of kisses and boys." Lily said smugly.  
  
"You're not making this any easier for me." James said with a sigh.  
  
"You don't believe me, do you? Well I have proof I can tell you their names. There was this one kid, his name, was well, I don't remember. And then there was this other kid. Hold on I'll think of it."  
  
James cut her off, interrupting her speech. He had leaned down and touched his lips to hers. Lily felt her body suddenly relax. Her mind cleared and once again she felt herself drifting away. She was no longer in the shadowy dungeon, but was with James in the clouds. Cloud Nine, to be more specific. It was something that had only lived in her wildest dreams. And now here she was in a place that had to be heaven. It was too wonderful to be a place on earth.

The kiss ended.  
  
It left Lily wishing for more. She was speechless as she opened her eyes and once again found herself looking at James Potter. He looked a little shocked himself. But all of it quickly melted away and he grinned.  
  
"How was that?"  
  
Lily blinked, her mind still not registering. She meant to say something witty, it would go straight to his already too big ego, but the words got caught. They came out all wrong.  
  
"Amazing." She whispered.  
  
He smiled sincerely and took her hands in his own.  
  
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought so." He said softly.  
  
They looked at each other.  
  
"Uh Lily?"  
  
"Yes James."  
  
Lily waited impatiently for him to speak. He was stumbling over his words again. He couldn't figure out how to say it.  
  
"Do you uh, er, want, well, do you want to um,"  
  
"What James?"  
  
"Do- youwant- to - gotohogsmeade- withme- next weekened?" He stuttered, mumbling as he tried to form the words.  
  
Lily was grinning madly, James Potter was actually nervous! And he was talking to her, Lily Evans, his own enemy! It was a Kodak moment, one that Lily wished she could use as blackmail. Wait until she told Diane and Mary!  
  
"What was that James?" Lily said sweetly. James rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what she was doing. He scratched his neck and then blurted out.  
  
"Want to go to Hogsmeade together?"  
  
"Did I hear that correctly, did James Potter, star quidditch player, prankster, and ladies man, actually ask Lily Evans, his own enemy on a date?"  
  
"Well I just said together. I mean it doesn't have to be if you don't want it to be. We could er talk, and just well, we could kiss. I mean we don't have too but"  
  
"I'll go." Lily smiled.  
  
"What? You mean, you'll go with me?" James exclaimed.  
  
Lily nodded. James grinned and wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her so tight that she was swept off her feet. (literally, her feet lifted right off the ground) Lily laughed as he spun her around.  
  
This, she thought, was happiness.  
  
It was the beginning, of a lifetime together.

* * *

**A/N: I know the ending is extremely stupid. I don't know what I was thinking, but this was a year from last summer. The next two chapters of this story or depending on what I do of the sequel, are sort of on the same wave length as this story. Then I left for 4 or 5 months, and well, you can decide if my writing changed or not.**

**Review Replies! I promised and I'm not going back on my promise! **

**Next update: Next weekend probably or perhaps sooner!**

**Amelia Bedelia: **No e-mail yet, but I'm updating. I should get extra brownie points for this, a nineteenth chapter of Light perhaps? Hint, hint.I know how it is with the whole e-mail thing, and you better think of a plot for nineteen! I'm going to send you a bunch of muses to speed up the process. Wouldn't it be nice if it could be that simple. The kiss has arrived! Thanks for reviewing!

**Granger-gurl-rox: **Nasty is a wonderful way to put it. They just keep piling it up on us and I swear they're Death Eaters in disguise. Yeah I had fun writing the water fight and the part about James and his little revelation, I just couldn't resist adding it. Thanks for reviewing!

**Marauder03: **I'm glad you found my story, I'll be looking forward to those reviews! Thanks for reviewing!

**LivingDreams: **Thank you! You poor thing. I know how that can be, my old computer was in an unheated basement, I shudder just thinking about it. Hope things get a little warmer for you! Thanks for reviewing and there will be plenty of chapters coming!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **Thanks for reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**KristiexxNguyen: **Hehe, well now you know what happened! Sorry for leaving you on that evil cliffie and don't worry there will be plenty of chapters to come. Thanks for reviewing!

**Irgova:** Thanks, I'm glad someone thinks so. Oh and thank you for the BOOP! I've never seen that one before. Thanks for reviewing!

**StrawberryLove: **Yeah I know, FINALLY, he realizes how he feels about her. I just had to add that part. Oh just wait and see. The next chapter the Professor will make an appearance and it should be an interesting encounter, I can't wait! Thanks for reviewing!

**Spawn32818: **No pressure!? Haha, I got this one out sort of soon. Not as quickly as I had hoped but at least it wasn't another one of those month long waits. That's an improvement. Thanks for reviewing and the next one should be out soon!

**Californiagirl: **I do update frequently because I wrote this story a while ago, so I guess I'm sort of cheating in a way. I'm glad you love the story. There's still a lot more to come. Thanks for reviewing!

**Lovey360: **I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks for reviewing!

**Firefur1: **I'm still undecided as to where I'm going to put the rest but I am going to continue you and like you said that's all that matters. No sooner did I get your review and I'm updating, how fast is that! Thanks for reviewing and look for another update hopefully soon!


	25. Surprise!

**Author's Note: I apologize for the delays. One word can sum all my problems up, it's a word associated with unnecessary over burdensome work that they call homework, horrible evil creatures called teachers, and exams of life and death that they call tests, I shudder even to mention it here. _The-place-that-shall-not-be-named._ **

**Sorry about the delay AGAIN. This year, I can't even begin to complain about this year, seriously I'll go off on a tangent for about 6 hours. Let's just say I started counting down the days until summer the day I went back a month ago.

* * *

**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 25: Surprise!**

Professor Tomorrow walked down the dreary hallways. She was headed for the Potions classroom. As she walked, she wondered what she would find. The Professor had left two enemies with each other in the same room, and there was rumor that one of them had wandless magic abilities. Last time those two had been left in the same room alone, Lily Evans had supposedly lost her temper and done something horrible to James Potter. But that couldn't be, because the two of them had been seen after that, holding hands and kissing in the hallways. Then suddenly there was none of that, and Lily and James had gone back to being arch enemies. It made no sense at all. Professor Tomorrow told herself that she had to stop listening in on the student's gossip. It was too difficult to understand any way.  
  
She entered the hallway, waiting for the shouts and arguing voices to meet her ears, but there was none of that. There was nothing but silence. Professor Tomorrow quickened her pace hoping that they didn't hurt each other, or worse, kill each other. It seemed unlikely, but this was Lily and James they were talking about. They could and would do serious damage to each other if they got the chance. The two young teenagers didn't know it, but they were very powerful.  
  
At last the middle aged Professor arrived at the doorway. She heard a girl laugh. Lily was laughing, but that wasn't right. The Potions Professor stopped short and waited in the shadows. From her hiding spot she watched the classroom. Sure enough, Lily walked into view laughing. She looked, happy? Perhaps she had killed James.  
  
But suddenly James appeared, sneaking up behind the innocent girl. Lily hadn't killed him after all. James grabbed Lily, causing her to shriek. Her shriek turned to laughter as he turned her around and pulled her into his arms.  
  
Professor Tomorrow wondered if perhaps now she should step forward and prevent the murder. But instead she stayed silent, curious to see what was the meaning of their odd behavior.  
  
James forced Lily to face him. She glanced up into his eyes and the laughter died away. Then all of a sudden the two teenagers leaned toward each other... and.... they...  
  
Professor Tomorrow drew in a sharp breath and clutched her heart. Suddenly she was falling towards the ground, and everything went black.

* * *

"What was that?" Lily asked pulling away from James.  
  
"I don't know. I think it came from the hallway."  
  
James started towards the door with Lily following close behind. They peered out into the dark corridor but saw nothing that might arouse suspicion.  
  
"That was weird." Lily remarked with a chuckle.  
  
She turned around and was just about to go back into the classroom when she stumbled. She nearly tripped over an inanimate object lying in the darkness. Lily bent down, curious to see what she had tripped over. When she saw what it was, she gasped.  
  
"James you better come and see this!"  
  
James hurried to her side, and when he saw not what, but who it was that was lying on the floor, he couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Well if it isn't our friend Professor Tomorrow! She's enjoying the forces of gravity I see." James grinned. Lily rolled her eyes and scowled.  
  
"Come on, help me get her into the classroom. She's too heavy for me to lift alone."  
  
With James' help the two students were able to get the Professor into the classroom. They put her on a table.  
  
"She's heavy! I think she should lay off on the roast lamb." James joked.  
  
"Don't even start James!" But Lily was grinning as well.  
  
"Do you think we should wake her? Or should we just leave her like this and look through her pockets and cabinets." James turned to Lily who once again marveled at James' life philosophy.  
  
"Of course we're going to wake her! Honestly James, do you have a conscious?"  
  
"As a matter of fact I do, and his name is Sirius Black."  
  
Lily punched him playfully and started poking the professor. James meanwhile, went to the back of the classroom and filled up a cauldron of water.  
  
"She's not waking up." Lily said nervously.  
  
"Don't worry I've got just the thing." James came back with a cauldron filled with water.  
  
Lily balked when she saw what James had in mind. She shook her head firmly.  
  
"No way! I am not getting another detention!" Lily protested.  
  
"Oh come on, it will be fun, you and me, and cauldrons in the Potions Classroom." James grinned mischievously and Lily simply couldn't refuse that grin. But she had to try to reason with him. As much as she'd love to see the Professor all wet, she did not need another mark on her record.  
  
"Can't you use wandless magic and just wake her up with Enervate?" Lily asked him.  
  
"Yea I guess we could do that, but wouldn't water be more fun?!"  
  
"No James, use the spell." Lily ordered.  
  
James groaned, but gave in. He put the cauldron back and rolled up his sleeves concentrating on the Professor.  
  
"Wait a second... how did you know that I could do wandless magic?"  
  
Lily was suddenly tongue tied. That was supposed to be a secret. But apparently Lily, with her big mouth, had made a tiny mistake.  
  
"I just saw you use it! Remember?"

James looked thoughtful for a moment, but then he frowned.

"You knew though, before all this, didn't you?" He studied her with his brown eyes, and Lily helplessly tried to come up with another excuse.

"Um, I um, well you were really careless, you slipped up a couple of times a few years ago."  
  
James wasn't fooled though. Lily was flushed and he could always tell by her eyes if she was lying. It was something he had noticed over the years that she did when she was lying.  
  
"You're lying." James said bluntly.  
  
"I know." Lily admitted. She was a terrible liar.  
  
"Tell me the truth. Who told you? Or how did you find out?" He took a step closer to her, forcing her to look into his eyes. She couldn't lie to him. Sirius was going to be in trouble, and it was all her fault. But if she lied...  
  
"I didn't figure it out. Sirius told me." Honesty won.  
  
"Sirius told you?" James looked surprised.  
  
"Yes. It kind of slipped out accidentally. He didn't mean to tell us." Lily drew in a sharp breath hoping he wouldn't be mad.  
  
"Who else did he tell?"  
  
"Only me, Diane and Mary. No one outside of our circle of friends."  
  
James paused and did some thinking for a moment. He was probably thinking of some way to get Sirius back. And it was all her fault. Sirius was going to kill her.  
  
"I guess I should have told everyone earlier. You would have found out anyway. No use keeping secrets." James said with a shrug. Lily exhaled.  
  
"You mean you're not mad at Sirius or me?" She asked cautiously.  
  
"No." James grinned. "How could I ever be mad at you flower." He quipped.  
  
Lily blushed. But it was irony. They were always mad at each other. He had called her flower, though. Perhaps there was something there after all.  
  
"It's Lily, not flower. You've forgotten my name already." Lily said half angrily. James turned to her and laughed.  
  
"I'm sorry flower."  
  
"Lily."  
  
"Flower."  
  
"Lily."  
  
"Flower."  
  
"Alright I give up!" Lily exclaimed.  
  
The two teenagers laughed and James performed the enervate charm on the sleeping professor. Poor Professor Tomorrow, she was literally in for a rude awakening.  
  
"What in Merlin's name is going on here?!" Those were the first words out of the Potion Professor's mouth. She sat up and stared at the two students with narrowed beady eyes.  
  
"You were out in the hallway, unconscious. So we brought you in here and woke you up." Lily said timidly.  
  
The Professor opened her mouth to say something, but then suddenly remembered what had caused her to faint. She held her tongue and got off the table.  
  
"This classroom better be clean, from top to bottom, or else." She hissed.  
  
Lily and James stepped away from her.  
  
"It is, now can we leave." Lily was impatient to get away from the Potions professor. Why couldn't they have dumped the water on her when they had the chance?  
  
"As long as everything is in order." The woman began marching around the classroom, making sure every little thing was sparkling clean. Lily and James were soon bored.  
  
At last, she returned twenty minutes later, grumpily satisfied with the classroom and cauldrons.  
  
"Here's your wands. Now get out of my sight!" She barked at them.  
  
Lily and James took their wands and left the room. Lily started walking, but suddenly James yanked her back. He pointed into the classroom. A cauldron was innocently hovering above the Professor's head.  
  
"Don't you dare James." But she was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.  
  
The cauldron tipped over, soaking the Potions Professor from her dyed hair to her ugly shoes. A very wet and dripping Professor let out a high pitched shriek, and suddenly growled.  
  
"POTTER! EVANS!"  
  
But James had already grabbed a laughing Lily, and taken off down the hall.

* * *

Back in the common room, four Gryffindors had gathered and were waiting impatiently for their friends return.  
  
"Do you think something happened to them?" Diane asked worriedly. She was walking a well worn path in the rug. Sirius was getting tired of having to follow her from one side of the room to the other, with his eyes.  
  
"Diane, for Merlin's sake, quit pacing!" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
Diane obediently stopped and went to the couch, sitting down beside her boyfriend. She sighed, and he put his arm comfortingly around her.  
  
"I'm just nervous about what might have happened to them." She said laying her head down on his chest.  
  
"I'm sure they're fine." Mary reassured her. She and Remus were engaged in a Chess match on the floor by the fire.  
  
"You have eyes. Didn't you see what happened today in class?"  
  
"Relax Diane. They did no damage to each other. It was only little spells." Mary concentrated on the board and then had her knight move forward. One of Remus' pawns went to her growing pile at the side of the board.  
  
"Besides, they probably won't be allowed to use their wands." Remus pointed out. He moved another one of his pawns, and caught a bishop, that Mary had stupidly left out in the open. Mary grimaced and Remus smiled smugly as it went to his small pile.  
  
"I think Professor Tomorrow is more of a threat to them, than they are to each other. Remus is right Diane. I don't think they'd be allowed to use their wands." Sirius stated truthfully.  
  
"True. But remember what happened in the last detention?" Diane replied giving them something to think about. It was silent for a moment as each remembered the results of the previous detention where Lily had lost her temper.  
  
"It wasn't so bad." Remus spoke up breaking the silence.  
  
"Still, Lily could have killed him." Diane worried.  
  
"I guess you're right." Mary sighed.  
  
"If they don't come back in five minutes, I'm going after them." Diane said getting to her feet.  
  
"Calm down, they can take care of themselves." Sirius pulled her back down.  
  
"That's the thing, they can't! They're like two year olds. They'll kill each other." Diane tried to stand up, but Sirius placed a firm hand on her shoulder.  
  
"They'll be fine, everything's going to work out." He told her softly.  
  
"How can you be so sure?" She asked him, facing him for the first time.  
  
Sirius grinned, getting everyone's attention.  
  
"James, had a little talk with his conscious today." He smirked.  
  
"Sirius you know that was stupid. Like James is going to listen to you, it's like saying Mary would ever beat me at chess" Remus was suddenly interrupted by Mary.  
  
"Check mate." She said grinning.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said check mate."  
  
Remus stared at the board with wide eyes, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.  
  
"Do you really think James is going to listen to you?" Diane snorted.  
  
Sirius smirked as the portrait suddenly banged open and two red faced, laughing Gryffindor Seventh Years came into the common room.  
  
"See for yourself." Sirius said smugly.  
  
Lily and James looked up at the others, facing four pairs of eyes. It was then that Diane realized that Sirius had been right all along. One simple gesture, could speak louder then any word.  
  
James was holding Lily's hand.  
  
"Well, well, well look what we have here." Sirius said smugly, looking the two blushing teenagers over with a critical eye.  
  
Diane was speechless, while Mary was stifling a giggle and Remus was too interested in the Chess board to notice. Lily and James suddenly became shy in front of their friends, revealing a side that none of them had seen before.  
  
"Uh hi Sirius." James said.  
  
"Hi, that's all you can say to us. We're looking for an explanation here, some details." Sirius continued to stare at them, making them go as red as Lily's hair.  
  
"Why are you all staring at us like that?" Lily asked nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other.  
  
"You're alive.... and you're holding James' hand, and you're not blowing each other to smithereens." Diane blurted out, her eyes still as round as saucers.  
  
"Thank you Captain Obvious." Mary quipped rolling her eyes.  
  
Remus had taken out his wand and was poking at the chess board.  
  
"You're scaring me Diane." Lily said.  
  
"I'm scaring you, what about me! Don't you think I already had a heart attack!" Diane fell back onto the couch staring at the two.  
  
"Remus quit trying to cheat! I spelled the board along time ago." Mary snapped slapping Remus hand and wand away from her pieces.  
  
"You two look like you had fun in detention, the teacher kept you real busy, I see." Sirius drawled. Lily and James diverted their eyes to the floor. James leaned over and whispered something in Lily's ear. She nodded and before Sirius could speak again, they had left, hand and hand.  
  
"I bet they went to the broom closet." Mary mused. She shook her head and went back to the chess board.  
  
Sirius was staring at his girlfriend with that look on his face. Diane hated that look it was one of the reasons why she had never dated Sirius when they were younger.  
  
"What?!" Diane exclaimed, finally unable to take it anymore.  
  
Sirius remained silent just grinning smugly at her, forcing her to beg for him to come right out with it.  
  
"Just say it!" She snapped.  
  
"Fine, I told you so." Sirius sang in a little sing song voice, that made Diane cringe.  
  
"Okay, you said it, you happy now!"  
  
"Nope." Diane groaned and sank down into the couch, dreading what was coming next.  
  
"I need you to admit something first." Sirius casually glanced at his nails, trying to hide the growing grin.  
  
"And what would that be Sirius, that you are a git? Because I already know that." Diane smirked.  
  
"That wasn't quite what I was looking for." Sirius flashed her a grin.  
  
"I know, there's no need for me to say it again."  
  
"I'm right, and you know it. Admit it."  
  
"Never." Diane retorted.  
  
"Oh come on, just admit it this once that I was right and you were wrong." Sirius pleaded with puppy dog eyes. She simply couldn't refuse, and he had a point there.  
  
"All right, you were right, just this once you were right." Diane admitted reluctantly.  
  
Sirius' face lit up like a little boy who had gotten a brand new racing broom. But now he was puffing up like a proud bird. Diane rolled her eyes, his ego didn't need to get any bigger.  
  
"I'm always right." He smirked wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"Yes, Sirius, you're just perfect, you just keep thinking that, just go back to that little imaginary world in your head." Diane patted his head with a gentle smile.  
  
"You're just jealous of my high I.Q." Sirius said running a hand through his hair.  
  
"You're right Sirius. There's no way I could compete with a negative 1600." Diane grinned.  
  
"You know I used to wonder how someone's I.Q. could actually be in the negatives. But then I met Sirius, and suddenly it all made sense." Mary quipped as she studied the chess board.  
  
Sirius scowled, finally understanding what they were saying and playfully hit his girlfriend. Diane just grinned and leaned back closing her eyes. She rested comfortably in his arms.  
  
"Remus you're cheating again!" Mary snapped.  
  
The couple laughed.

* * *

James and Lily walked hand in hand through the vacant hallways. Happiness seemed to radiate from the couple like an invisible aura. Lily's green eyes were sparkling as she glanced James' way. Every time James caught sight of the beautiful red head at his side, his grin would grow wider. Lily smiled and leaned her head a little bit on his shoulder. He was taller than her and she had to look up to see his handsome face. James casually threw an arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to his side. It was just where Lily wanted to be, in his arms.  
  
"Having any second thoughts?" James whispered in her ear. Lily grinned and shook her head.  
  
"Not yet, but watch it James. I might just change my mind about Hogsmeade." She teased him. James grinned in reply.  
  
"Why are _you _having second thoughts?" Lily asked him seriously. James shook his head.  
  
"I just wanted to make sure, that this wasn't some dream gone wrong, you know. A moment ago we were trying to kill each other and now..." He trailed off.  
  
"I know what you mean." She agreed with him. It was all very sudden, though she had always had a place in her heart for him, ever since the last detention when he had won her over with a smile, it was still strange.  
  
"What do we do now?" He asked her, referring to their relationship. Lily thought for a moment, then came up with an answer and a smile.  
  
"Well you could start by asking me to be your girlfriend." The suggestion went over well, and James turned red.  
  
"You were always clever Lily."  
  
"Common sense James, it's called common sense."  
  
"Okay." James glanced nervously around, and saw to his relief that there was no one around them. He took her by the hand and faced her.  
  
"It's not a proposal." Lily joked earning a smile from him.  
  
"I know, it's just you're different Lily from all the other girls I've dated. You're special." James blushed in embarrassment after he said it. He wasn't used to expressing his feelings.  
  
Lily was touched. She knew this was not normally how James acted. It made her heart flutter and her cheeks turn pink.  
  
"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked looking up into her dazzling green eyes.  
  
"Yes." Lily said softly.  
  
She took a step toward him and touched her lips to his. It was a good enough answer for James. They were finally an official couple.  
  
From a few feet away, someone else watched in shock as the two shared a touching kiss, and made their love official. The brunette stumbled back a few steps and then caught herself.  
  
"I thought they broke up." She thought to herself.  
  
She stood frozen on the spot, wondering what to do or say. Lily and James just continued to be oblivious to her presence caught in a world of their own. It was a long time before the girl finally found her voice and spoke.  
  
"Well this is a surprise."  
  
Her voice reached the couple, causing them to jump. They broke their lip lock and Lily searched for the source of the interruption. When she saw who was standing a few feet away with her arms crossed over her chest, her jaw dropped. James turned around as well, and when he saw the girl his eyes widened.  
  
It was a surprise, a terrible surprise.

And Lily Evans knew right then and there that the happy lifelong future together that had just begun was suddenly over. She just didn't know how incredibly wrong, and how horribly right she was.

* * *

**A/N: MUAHAHAHAHA! Cliffie. Um actually it's not that difficult to figure out who it is. The thing Lily said, it will all make sense in the end. But right now it's not supposed too. **

**Thanks to my wonderful reviewers! **

**KristiexxNguyen, MilliKilo, Luna Lovegood, Strawberry Love, J.E.A.R.K.Potter, irgova, neOnhunteR, spawn32818, allie, Amelia Bedelia, Granger-gurl-rox, LMDGlUVR4EVA, Hidden Tiger 13, firefur1, Pixy-Misa-Misao-Amano, LCH8292, Icy-Magic. **

**Without you there would be no story, seriously. Sorry no review replies, I have a ton of homework and it would just delay this chapter, I apologize for how late this is and I'm working on getting Chapter 26 done in less than a week. **


	26. She's BACK!

**Author's Note: Ugh, yesterday I had to take the Psychotic Stupid Antagonistic Test, commonly referred to as the P.S.A.Ts. I think I failed. As my friend said, I was just making little designs with the bubbled letters. **

**Oh and then in the spring I get to take the real thing, this year is going to be so much _fun_.

* * *

**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 26: She's BACK!**

"I promise I'll only be a moment." Taylor told her boyfriend. He nodded his head slowly.  
  
"I'll be here waiting for you, when you get back." He promised.  
  
Taylor smiled, kissed him on the cheek and walked down the hallway to the infirmary. Cautiously she opened the door and peered in. It was quiet as usual, and uncomfortably bright. She walked inside, heading for the bed that her friend usually occupied. Poor Jenn, she hadn't visited her in over four days. Taylor shivered when she remembered the reason why Jenn had been hospitalized in the first place. It had been a scary day. Taylor put it in the back of her mind as she reached the bed with a grin.  
  
"Hi Jenn." She pulled back the curtains and her grin suddenly faded away.  
  
"Jenn?"  
  
Jenn wasn't in the hospital bed. The sheets were neatly folded up and all of her stuff was gone. Taylor's heart jumped into her mouth and fear suddenly crept up the back of her neck. The nurse came over to her, wondering what Taylor was doing there.  
  
"Where's Jenn?" Taylor asked turning to the older woman, fearing the worse.  
  
"The young lady has been released on behalf of Professor Dumbledore." The nurse replied.  
  
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief, for a moment she had thought that Jenn was dead. She thanked the nurse and left the room.  
  
But as Taylor closed the door softly behind her, she began to have second thoughts. Releasing Jenn from the hospital might not have been a good thing. Taylor realized that it was up to her to warn the others, especially Lily, that Jenn was back.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jeff asked her.  
  
"I have to go something's come up."  
  
Turning she hurried toward the Gryffindor Tower.  
  
The only thing was, Lily, already knew.

* * *

It was the one and only-  
  
"Jenn?"  
  
Jenn smiled at her former boyfriend and nodded. She slowly walked toward him, never taking her eyes off of him. James took a few steps toward her and then stopped abruptly. Horrified, Lily saw Jenn continue walking toward him, like a mountain lion stalking its prey. Only when she was standing right in front of him, did she stop and look up at him.  
  
"Did you miss me?" She asked giving him a charming smile.  
  
James could only stare at her, with a puzzled look on his face. Then he jerked his head in Lily's direction and shot her a meaningful look. Lily didn't understand why James was so confused, but she wasn't complaining because obviously he didn't return Jenn's affections.  
  
"Jenn, it's so nice to see you again." James pretended to grin, but Lily saw all too clearly that he was completely baffled.  
  
As they were making small talk, Lily wondered why he was so confused, then suddenly she remembered. James probably didn't remember the whole scenario with Jenn. All he could remember was the fact that Lily had taken advantage of him and things like that. But perhaps, James didn't know what he had done to Jenn, and what Jenn had done to Lily. Suddenly Lily pitied Jenn. Her boyfriend had been ripped away from her because of a spell on Lily's part.  
  
Lily went over and approached them.  
  
"Hi Jenn." She greeted her politely with a smile.  
  
For a moment, Jenn looked at her with surprise, then disdain and then something changed. Jenn's face took on a strange look and then crumbled completely. Her eyes suddenly became different, perhaps filled with guilt or maybe sadness.  
  
"Oh hi Lily." Her voice was suddenly quiet. Jenn struggled and finally managed a weak smile.  
  
"Are you out of the Infirmary now?" Lily asked kindly.  
  
"Yes." Jenn said meekly.  
  
She seemed to be shrinking, getting smaller by the moment. Lily wished she hadn't mentioned anything. Jenn looked almost as if she were guilty, and it was killing her.  
  
"Look Lily, I" Jenn trailed off as both Lily and James looked at her, waiting for her to finish.  
  
"Yes?" Lily asked.  
  
There was a long pause and then Jenn shook her head in defeat.  
  
"I forgot something at the infirmary, I'll see you later." She walked away, only turning once to wave to them. Then she was gone.  
  
"That was odd." Lily said softly.  
  
James coughed meaningfully, and Lily looked nervously over at him.  
  
"You have a lot of explaining to do."  
  
Lily nodded, unable to meet his eyes.  
  
"Come with me." She beckoned for James to follow her and led him into an abandoned Charms classroom.

* * *

"Rematch?"  
  
"Remus, I just won for the second time and you want to play again?"  
  
"You were cheating during the first three games."  
  
"I was cheating?!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I was not! It was you that was cheating!"  
  
"Me, Cheat? No, I'm too honest to do that sort of thing." Remus smiled innocently at Mary. The girl rolled her eyes and stood up.  
  
"That's the last game of Chess I play with you." She replied.  
  
Suddenly the portrait banged open and Taylor came stumbling inside.  
  
"Whoa, someone's in a hurry." Sirius remarked.  
  
"You're not going to believe this." Taylor said getting their attention successfully.  
  
"What?" Diane asked curiously.  
  
"It's Jenn."  
  
"What about her?" Mary's eyes narrowed. She had never been truly okay with the idea that Jenn had nearly killed one of her best friends unintentionally.  
  
"She's been released from the Infirmary."  
  
Mary angrily leapt to her feet, but Remus put a firm hand on her shoulder. Diane and Sirius hurriedly stood up as well.  
  
"We better go find Lily and James." Diane glanced at the others and they looked back in silent agreement.  
  
"Come on." Taylor opened the portrait and climbed out, the others not far behind her.  
  
"Where did they go?" She asked immediately.  
  
"They just left." Remus shrugged.  
  
"Okay, check every closet, and every abandoned classroom there is. Anywhere private, with a door, that's where they will be." Sirius instructed.  
  
Taylor laughed, but she was the only one who did.  
  
"You're joking right." She said seriously.  
  
"I'm Serious." He said.  
  
"No you're Sirius." Taylor quipped.  
  
"Ha, ha. Lily and James are back together. After the detention they came back hand and hand." Sirius informed her. Taylor hadn't known because she hadn't been there.  
  
"Now you tell me! Jenn's out of the infirmary and her ex-boyfriend, who she still loves, is going out with someone she tried to kill!" Taylor burst out.  
  
"Yea, that just about sums it up." Mary said glancing around.  
  
"We have to find them before Jenn does!" Diane exclaimed.  
  
"Alright, let's split up." Mary took control.  
  
"Remus, Taylor and I will go left."  
  
"Diane and Sirius you'll go right."  
  
"We'll meet back here." Mary called after them.  
  
Then the group went their separate ways, on the hunt for Lily, James and Jenn.

* * *

"And then, you, well you broke up with Jenn. Actually you never did but you ignored her and was mean to her. You started following me around and worshipping me. She got very upset, especially when you kissed me and then we became a couple. I don't blame her for being mad." Lily paused and took a breath.  
  
"That's it, she's only mad because I was ignoring her and flirting with you." James cut in.  
  
"Not quite. You have to remember that there's a big difference between flirting and dating someone." Lily explained to him.  
  
"But that wasn't everything that happened was it?" He looked directly into her eyes, as if he could see what she was desperately trying to hide from him. Lily sighed.  
  
"Jenn tried to kill me." She blurted out.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Jenn tried to kill me."  
  
"What do you mean? What did she do?"  
  
"One night she came into the Dormitory while I and everyone else was sleeping and then she took out her wand and she-" Lily took a deep breath, shutting her eyes as she caught a flash of the memory.  
  
_BANG!  
  
Lily's eyes snapped open. She was on the floor and on top of her was a seething someone with glaring red eyes. Lily screamed.  
  
"Silencio."  
  
Lily couldn't hear anything but her own screaming. She went on screaming in a slightly muffled voice. She could see nothing in the pitch black of the dormitories. The person was nothing but a dark shadow with slightly red eyes.  
  
"Shut up." She heard Mary mumble.  
  
The person was hovering over her. Their wand was raised. Lily's eyes grew wide and she let out a shriek. The person moved toward her but Lily rolled out of the way as a red light shot out of the wand.  
  
Lily scrambled to her feet backing toward the wall. The person swore and started toward her again. Lily noticed that the wand was trembling in the person's hand.  
  
If only she had her wand! Lily spotted it on the bureau across the room by her bedside. Quick as a flash Lily darted past the clumsy figure. Narrowly avoiding a blue light she reached for her wand and faced the person.  
  
"Expilliarmus!"  
  
The wand soared out of the figure's trembling hand and into hers. Lily clutched it tight and raised her own wand, green eyes blazing. She was ready to stun them. _

_There was a rustling of sheets and Lily hoped that one of her roommates had awakened.  
  
"Lumos." Lily whispered.  
  
The cloaked figure made a choking noise and removed the hood. Lily's eyes grew to the size of saucers as she caught sight of the face.  
  
With sweat pouring from her forehead and her eyes slightly out of focus a familiar girl looked back at her. Dropping to her knees weakly she managed to say in a weak yet clear voice.  
  
"Lily - stop - Dark Lord - sent - curse -" Then her voice faded and her head dropped onto her chest.  
  
A burst of light sprung from somewhere behind Lily. She caught a glimpse of Mary standing beside her and then the light fell on the girl's form. It was . . .  
  
"Jenn!?" Mary exclaimed.  
  
Mary and Lily both lowered their wands. Lily cautiously started toward the huddled form that was Jenn. Mary ran over and knelt down in front of Jenn wondering what was wrong with her.  
  
Mary reached out to touch her friends shoulder but Jenn drew back a little.  
  
"Be careful Mary." Lily said quietly. She was just as bewildered as Mary was.  
  
"Jenn? Can you hear me?" Mary asked quietly.  
  
Jenn was muttering under her breath as if she were talking to herself.  
  
"No - no I won't - please leave me" She was saying.  
  
Mary turned her back on Jenn momentarily to glance at Lily. Lily shrugged, still perplexed and thinking.  
  
"Expilliarmus!"  
  
Both wands shot out of Lily's hands and into Jenn's. She jumped to her feet and pointed her wand at Mary.  
  
"Cru -"  
  
"Cru -"  
  
Someone else was fumbling around the room looking for the light. Lily was backing against the wall knowing what was coming next.  
  
"Cruc -"  
  
"Ad -"  
  
"Adva -"  
  
Finally Jenn started to lower her wand just to raise it again and then lower it. It was very confusing. She was stuttering and her eyes were filled with pain. She was continually wincing. Suddenly her head snapped back and her eyes started glowing more then they had before.  
  
Lily knew what she had to do. She ran forward just as Jenn raised her wand tears pouring from her eyes.  
  
Several things happened at once. Lily hurled herself at Jenn and they went crashing to the floor. Lily was desperately fighting for her life and Jenn was ferociously fighting for control of the wands. But determined as they were, neither of them, could gain the upper hand of the fight.  
  
Mary regained her senses and went for her wand. She tripped over Diane who had woken up and was also trying to find the wand. It seemed hopeless as Diane and Mary tried to find the light and Jenn and Lily fought a battle they couldn't control. Luckily Taylor and Lily came through.  
  
Lily grabbed her wand and stood up and just as Jenn was about to get to her feet Taylor groggily leapt forward. She fell on her leg causing her to be momentarily trapped. Lily was able to cast the stunning spell and Diane and Mary finally found the light ending the chaos.  
  
_"Lily?" Someone snapped their fingers waving something in front of her eyes.  
  
Lily finally blinked, coming out of the trance.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked her softly.  
  
Lily inhaled and then nodded.  
  
"I'm okay. I was just remembering it all."  
  
James was thoughtful for a moment then he touched her shoulder gently.  
  
"Memories can be painful, but we have to relive them in order to heal." He smiled over at her. Lily glanced up and returned the smile.  
  
"I know. And you would know that of all people." She threw herself at him, embracing him in her arms. He held her close to him and breathed in her sweet scent.  
  
"I won't let her hurt you Lily." He murmured.  
  
"I know you won't James. But she's going to be okay now. She's a strong person." Lily couldn't help but smile as she snuggled closer to him.  
  
She was so glad she had him.  
  
"Can you two stay away from each other for just a mere second!"  
  
Lily and James slowly let go of each other and turned to see a grinning Sirius standing in the doorway. Diane appeared beside him, punching her boyfriend lightly.  
  
"Sirius can you keep your mouth shut for just a mere split second!" Diane quipped.  
  
"It's impossible, believe me we've tried." James said meeting Diane's gaze. The two of them and Lily laughed. Sirius looked a little hurt.  
  
"Cheer up Motor Mouth." Diane teased.  
  
"No one understands me." Sirius whined.  
  
"For once I agree with you." Diane broke into a grin and Sirius scowled.  
  
"What are you doing here?" James asked slyly.  
  
It was Diane's turn to narrow her eyes.  
  
"We're not like you, we don't go searching for abandoned classrooms in our spare time."  
  
"No," Sirius slung an arm around her shoulders. "unlike you we actually find closets and have sense enough to close and lock the door."  
  
Diane turned red and pushed Sirius out the door. Lily and James snickered.  
  
"Blabber Mouth." Diane muttered closing the door so he couldn't get back in.  
  
"I heard that!"  
  
"So what are you doing here?" Lily asked her friend.  
  
"We were looking for you as a matter of fact." Diane folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the door. Sirius was banging loudly on the other side.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"There's been some trouble."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Diane struggled to find the right words. Then suddenly she looked directly at them.  
  
"Remember Jenn?"

* * *

**A/N: Hehe, More Jenn in the next chapter. It should be up next week.**

**By the way, REVERSE THE CURSE. And no I am not referring to the story. 2004 is going to be the year! My "Holy" Eight Ball predicts it... After 4 or 5 tries but that's beside the point! **

**50 House Points to whoever has even the remotest clue as to what I am talking about.**

**Thanks to my wonderful reviewers and as promised, here's the replies.**

**Sweet Sarcasm: **I know what it's like waiting for readers to update, suffering through hours of torture, hovering on the verge of death. So of course I take guilty pleasure in watching my readers suffer. Hehe. Admit it you do too! No cliffie this chapter, I need to keep my readers alive for reviews. Thanks for reviewing!

**Granger-gurl-rox: **I am so evil, I am the cliffie queen! Where's my cliffie crown? Nah just kidding, I could be worse, much worse. I love making James blush in front of Lily, it's just so cute! Thanks for reviewing!

**LMDGlUVR4EVA: **Congrats you were one of the few who guessed it! Regarding your first review and request, do you mean like a summary of what happened in the previous chapter or am I misunderstanding that? I know I need to update more frequently, I completely agree with you, but right now look for one chapter every weekend, at least until things calm down a bit. Thanks for reviewing!

**KristiexxNguyen: **I love cliffies, I think I'll put one at the end of every chapter. Hehe. You wish is my command, I'm continuing and there's plenty more to come! Thanks for reviewing!

**Elise: **Thanks, I appreciate the review!

**Amelia Bedelia: **Sweet sixteen, join the club, Happy Belated Birthday! I love that commercial. You have to send me the song cause I want to steal it and record it, MWHAHAHAH, just kidding but I could use a laugh! Awww a surprise party, your friends are so sweet!!! Um I changed my mind, I'm just going to keep all the chapters together in one story because I changed the title so that it would tie in with the ending, which still has to be written, and well I can't change the title again. L/J moments are coming up in the near future! You on the other hand, we need to talk about that...

**Ne0n-chan: **She should've sounded familiar! But I haven't mentioned her in quite a bit so I knew people had probably forgotten about her. Thanks for reviewing!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **Freedom, yeah right, I have to wait until summer and it's not even Halloween yet! Thanks for reviewing!

**LilynJamesAAF: **I'm glad you liked it, hopefully you'll like this one too. Thanks for reviewing!

**Miss Strawberry-Chan: **A week is extremely fast for me. But I'm only editing these chapters so technically I'm still cheating and I should be faster. But I'm working on the faster update thing. Thanks for reviewing!

**Spawn32818: **Thanks, I'm sorry this one was so late! I'm glad you like the story and Thanks for reviewing!

**Beckus: **Sorry I didn't update! You guessed it, it was Jenn! Congrats you were the first! Thanks for reviewing and I'm really sorry that I took so long updating and probably lost a reviewer!

**Luna Lovegood: **I love reading your reviews! Professor Tomorrow fainted because Lily and James were kissing, and well it came as a shock to her because she's so used to them being enemies, I know it makes no sense. Hehe, everyone forgot who it was, so don't worry about it. I don't really know why I threw her back in there when I originally wrote this. I think my eight ball is programmed to hate me. But thanks for the encouragement even though it probably will not happen. ::shudders:: DON'T MENTION THAT PLACE! Thanks for reviewing!

**Tara-yo: **Yep, you've met her, I just haven't mentioned her in quite a bit so everyone forgot about her. Hopefully some of you recognized her in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

**Firefur1: **I LOVE making James blush, especially in front of Lily, it's so adorable. Well now you know who it is! Do you recognize her now? Thanks for reviewing!

**Misakichi1: **Sorry this update is so late! Thanks for reviewing!

**Hidden Tiger13: **Hehe, I love Cliffies. I think I'll just leave you hanging there. Thanks for reviewing!

**Animalluvr75: **Yep they're official, they're so cute together I just had to make it official! I should have left you hanging but I was really scared of what you might do, I didn't like the evil cackle. So I surrender, here's the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!


	27. A Walk in the Dark

**Author's Note: I probably should rewrite the entire second half of the story, but it's too late for that now. Everything's done and I put too much work into it. Perhaps I can save it for my next story. **

**No one got the extra House points, because no one had the faintest clue as to what I was talking about. But hey it doesn't matter, they made history Wednesday Night and Saturday is the day it all begins again. 86 years later, perhaps we can finally break the curse.

* * *

**

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 27: A Walk In the Dark **

"What were we thinking?" Mary asked herself.  
  
"Let me ask you then, since you're the expert at reading our minds. What were you thinking?" Remus asked her.  
  
"I wasn't that's the problem. There's no way we'll be able to find her. She could be anywhere!" Mary was frustrated. They had already looked on two floors, making the full circle twice.  
  
"I don't know about that."  
  
Remus and Mary turned to look at Taylor, only to find that she was running down the staircase, racing to catch up with a familiar figure down below. Mary and Remus hurried after her never taking their eyes off Taylor who was rapidly approaching the girl.  
  
"Hi." Taylor stood in front of her, waiting for the other girl's reaction. Suddenly the brunette broke into a bright smile.  
  
"Taylor!"  
  
The two girls embraced each other. Once upon a time they had been best friends. Maybe there was still hope for their broken friendship.  
  
"It's Jenn." Mary whispered to Remus.  
  
"Thank you Captain Obvious." Remus quipped.  
  
Mary just sighed rubbing her temples. Jenn seemed fine now, perhaps even better then she had been before. But the question was, how would she react when she saw Lily and James....together?  
  
That would be the real test.  
  
"What are you so worried about?" Remus asked placing a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Everything." She replied.  
  
Remus looked back to where Jenn and Taylor were talking, grinning and laughing. Suddenly he came to a conclusion.  
  
"You don't trust her do you?"  
  
Mary was unusually quiet.  
  
"Look at me Mary." Remus forced her to look him in the eye.  
  
"She tried to kill Lily." Mary whispered.  
  
"I know, but Lily said she fought off the curse and she's changed. Even when she visited her in the Hospital Wing she said-" Mary cut him off.  
  
"I won't believe it until I see her with Lily and James."  
  
Her eyes were cold and dark, taking on a strange look as she stared past him at Jenn. Remus couldn't place the look, he had only saw it once or twice in her eyes. Just as quickly, it passed over and Mary broke into a false smile.  
  
"Hi Jenn, how have you been?" She walked over and hurriedly embraced Jenn, drawing back almost as quickly. Mary pulled away from the other girl sending a pleading look back at Remus. He walked over and stood beside Mary.  
  
"Look at you two." Jenn squealed.  
  
"Yes this is my boyfriend." Mary reached out and took Remus hand, scooting closer to him.  
  
It was only then that Remus realized that the look had been of fear.  
  
Mary was scared of Jenn.

* * *

"Let me get this straight." Diane paused momentarily to take a deep breath and then began again.  
  
"You already saw Jenn." She was starting to pace again.  
  
"Yes." Lily and James replied.  
  
"Jenn saw you."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you talked to Jenn."  
  
"Yes." Diane stopped pacing.  
  
"And you're still alive!" Diane exclaimed.  
  
"No, we're ghosts." James quipped rolling his eyes.  
  
"Boo!" Lily said to Diane. She giggled as Diane frowned.  
  
"Not funny."  
  
"Remember when Binns came out of the chalkboard that day." Lily grinned.  
  
"Don't remind me." Diane said placing a hand over her eyes.  
  
"Yea, he just woke up and went to class, through the chalkboard. I remember Diane jumped about three feet in the air and was hysterical the whole class. She had to leave the room and had to go to the infirmary." James smirked.  
  
"Can we please change the subject!?" Diane interrupted.  
  
"Remember how she wouldn't calm down. It took us forever to get her to shut up." Lily continued.  
  
"And then she wouldn't go to History of Magic for two weeks, but then again that was smart of her-" James was cut off by Diane.  
  
"Let's get back to what we were talking about before, you know the matters at hand."  
  
"Why you don't want to talk about the good old days?" Lily asked sweetly.  
  
"Not when they include the ghosts of the past." Diane stated.  
  
"Alright, let's go back to the Common Room." James said taking Lily's hand.  
  
Diane opened the door and Sirius tumbled in, landing on the floor at her feet.  
  
"That was a graceful entrance Sirius. I'd give it a ten." Diane applauded.  
  
"Help me up." Sirius groaned stretching out a hand. Diane took it, but he pulled her down with him, catching her in his arms.  
  
"Sirrrriiiiuuusss!"  
  
Lily and James stifled a laugh at the look of the two of them sprawled on the floor in the doorway. Diane was not a happy camper.  
  
"Look who's talking now." Sirius said grinning, looking satisfied with himself. Diane didn't reply but scrambled to her feet.  
  
"You deserve a nine." James announced.  
  
"Only nine!?" Sirius asked as the two of them got to their feet.  
  
"I'll give you a ten, just for the look on Diane's face." Lily said clapping. Sirius grinned.  
  
"I should have known." Diane grumbled brushing the dirt from her robes. "It was the oldest trick in the book, and I still fell for it."  
  
"You were falling for me darling." Sirius quipped.  
  
"Oh please." Diane waved a hand and marched out the door.  
  
The other three followed her out the door.  
  
You would think though, that at least one of them would take into consideration the time. It was after midnight and here was four loud teenagers marching toward the common rooms.  
  
They were practically screaming "Hey Filch We're Out of Bed!".

* * *

"What time is it?" Taylor asked.  
  
"Do I look like a Watch?" Mary asked her.  
  
Taylor shrugged innocently and then glanced around.  
  
"You know guys, it might be getting a little late." She commented.  
  
"I think you're right, we better get back to the common room before Filch comes looking for us." Jenn said, then she started up the staircase, disappearing into the shadows.  
  
"Creepy." Mary shivered, and then she followed the others. Remus put an arm around her as the darkness seemed to close in around them. Suddenly they all began to realize that perhaps they were up at some ungodly hour. It was so dark.  
  
And it was Filch's hour to shine.

* * *

"I've got a song that gets on everybody's nnneeeerrrrvvvesss, everybody's nnnneeeeerrrvvvesss, everybody's nnnneeeerrrrvvvesss, I've got a song that gets on everybody's nnnneeerrrrvvvessss and this is how it goes!"  
  
"Shut up Sirius!" Diane exclaimed.  
  
"Do I hear Encore?"  
  
"NO! That is the very last time I ever want to hear that song!" Sirius just grinned at this.  
  
"Then I guess I'll sing it again..."  
  
"Leave it to Sirius to come up with the most annoying song I've ever heard in my life." Lily grumbled.  
  
"Lily doesn't like my song? I'm hurt Lily, I'm hurt." Sirius put on a false frown, and then suddenly lightened up turning to James.  
  
"Ready James?" He asked his comrade. James suddenly grinned and joined in, much to Diane and Lily's despair.  
  
"I've got a song that gets on Diane and Lily's nerves, Diane and Lily's nerves, Diane and Lily's nerves. I've got a song that gets on Diane and Lily's nerves, and this is how it goes."  
  
The words were only changed around just a little bit. But it was still equally annoying. After the third time around, Lily and Diane were ready to hit the roof, and the red haired temper does indeed come in handy when placed in situations such as this one.  
  
"SILENCIO!"  
  
It was so quiet Diane and Lily could actually still hear their ears ringing. Diane breathed a sigh of relief and turned to her hero.  
  
"Thank you Lily."  
  
"Anytime Diane. That's what friends are for." Lily laughed.  
  
"I can actually hear myself think now."  
  
Lily chuckled and glanced over at their silent companions, who glared at her as they passed.  
  
"I love silencing spells, I really do." Lily said wistfully.  
  
"I worship the person who created it." Diane laughed.  
  
"Mmmmmph!  
  
"Mump!"  
  
"The beauty of silence." Lily said softly. Then she turned to Diane and they both cracked up laughing.  
  
"Lily?" Taylor's voice carried up the flight of stairs.  
  
"Hey! We're up here!" Lily called.  
  
There was some whispering and stumbling then suddenly not only Taylor, but Jenn, Mary and Remus came up the steps in the darkness to stand beside them.  
  
"I see you found them." Mary said to Diane, glancing at Jenn as if she might make a dangerous move.  
  
"Yea. We're on our way back to the common room now. It's kind of dark, you know. I wonder what time it is?" Diane asked.  
  
"Is it just me or is James and Sirius acting strangely quiet." Remus asked the girls innocently.  
  
Lily broke into an evil grin.  
  
"It's all my doing." She said proudly.  
  
"They were singing the most annoying song, something about a song that gets on your nerves." Diane said touching her forehead at the memory of the awful mind battering song.  
  
"Don't even think about it Remus." Mary warned.  
  
"I wasn't going too." Remus lied, silently wondering if Mary could read minds.  
  
"Uh guys we might want to start moving, you know Filch could be anywhere and well it's not really a sociable hour is it?" Jenn said nervously.  
  
"Quite right Ms. Jennifer. Filch could even be right behind you." Said a voice.  
  
"Who said that?" Jenn asked in a trembling voice.  
  
No one replied, for they were all staring at the man with the lantern, standing right behind her. Jenn turned around slowly.  
  
"Uh Hi Mr. Filch." Jenn waved nervously, then backed up so that she was standing with the rest of them.  
  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"  
  
"I think Mr. Filth, I mean Filch, this is the part where you say, students out of bed." Sirius replied. Diane hit him as Mr. Filth, I mean Filch scowled.  
  
"It was a rhetorical question." Diane whispered.  
  
"I think that all of you are coming with me!" He leered, exposing his dirty yellow teeth, in what must have been a grin of some sort.  
  
Filch lead the way, as a whispered conversation was held behind.  
  
"Thanks a lot Sirius!"  
  
"Lily why couldn't you keep the darn spell on him."  
  
"But I did!"  
  
"Yea, we hear you."  
  
No one noticed James grinning innocently behind her. Except for Lily who suddenly realized what little Mr. Innocent had done.  
  
"Wandless magic." She grumbled.  
  
They were brought back to Filch's office. All of them were seated in front of his desk, except for Jenn who suddenly stood up.  
  
"Mr. Filch?" Jenn asked cautiously.  
  
"What?" He barked.  
  
"I don't think that they should be punished."  
  
"How noble of you Ms. Jennifer, now sit down and shut up."  
  
But Jenn did not shut up, or sit down, she instead persisted.  
  
"I was released from the Hospital Wing and they were walking me back." Jenn continued.  
  
"All of them? I think it was more like a social hour."  
  
"Mr. Filch, I see that you don't know why I was sent to the Infirmary a few weeks ago, or you would realize that I did need that many people to escort me back." Jenn said solemnly, her eyes suddenly growing sad.  
  
"What were you in there for?" Filch was growing curious and it was obvious that he was dying to know.  
  
"I was hospitalized for using the Unforgivable curses."  
  
Silence filled the room. Filch looked nervously about as the others just sat in silence, waiting for the reaction.  
  
"You're joking." He laughed harshly.  
  
"No I'm not, talk to any teacher, talk to the nurse, these students, they all know." Jenn said.  
  
Filch now looked at her as if she were a bomb waiting to go off at any moment. The others loved it.  
  
"If anyone is responsible for disturbing the hallways, it is myself alone." Jenn said giving him a sincere smile.  
  
"T-thats aalll r-rright. I-I won't in-inform t-the p-p-professors of t-this in-in-incident. You m-may g-g-go." Filch's voice was quivering as he watched the students solemnly get up from their chairs take Jenn by the arms and escort her from the room.  
  
He locked the door after they left.  
  
Outside the doorway Jenn freed herself from their hold and began walking onward as if nothing had ever happened. It took her only a few moments to realize that they were not following her. She paused and turned to the others and was surprised to find them all looking at her with expressions of shock mixed with horror.  
  
"I don't know what you're all sitting here for. I'm not waiting for Filch to change his mind." Then she opened the door and left the corridor, calm as ever. The others remained where they were not quite sure if they knew what had just happened. Then they followed her out into the dark corridors  
  
The students were unusually quiet on their way back to the common room. When they at last reached the Fat Lady they found someone already standing there waiting for them. Lily jumped and grabbed onto James and Taylor let out a squeak but Mary's wand revealed that it was only Jenn.

"Can you put the wand down, you're blinding me." Jenn said blinking and holding a hand up over her eyes.

"Am I?" Mary snapped.

Jenn refused to reply, wisely keeping her mouth shut.  
  
"What are you doing out here?" Mary asked automatically, hesitantly and reluctantly lowering the wand.  
  
"I don't have the password, remember." Jenn muttered folding her arms impatiently over her chest.

"Oh." The hostility in Mary's voice seemed to diminish slightly as she put the light out, and they were lost in the darkness once more.  
  
Lily stepped forward and obediently said the password and they all went inside. The common room was mercifully empty and they all filed in taking a seat on the chairs, couches and floor. No one was really in the mood to go to sleep just yet.  
  
There was a very awkward silence during which everyone seemed to be shooting questioning glances in Jenn's direction. Jenn stared determinedly at the floor, pretending she didn't notice.  
  
"I guess I owe you an apology." Jenn said finally biting her lip.  
  
"For what? You just saved our butt." But Mary gave Sirius a quick silencing look.  
  
"I'm sorry for everything that happened. I know I made a mess of things, but I hope you will know that it wasn't intentional. I didn't want to kill you or hurt you in any way and I'm" But Jenn's voice had broke and silent tears were streaming down her cheeks. She looked away and for a moment no one really knew what to do.  
  
"It wasn't your fault." Lily said gently.  
  
Jenn said nothing but buried her face into her hands.  
  
"You were under the Imperius curse and besides no one was hurt."  
  
"I could've killed you or anyone else and now I'll have to live with it for the rest of my life." Jenn looked at them her eyes watering as she spoke.  
  
"Just tell us what happened." Mary pleaded quietly.  
  
Jenn looked directly at Mary and her eyes suddenly took on a haunted look. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, she seemed to struggling with something inside of her. It was as if a flickering veil was falling across her face. Jenn struggled looking as if she couldn't breathe.  
  
"I was walking and then I, well I, it was dark and I.....well then I.....uh...." Jenn's voice trailed off and for a moment she looked furious with herself. She opened her mouth again but once again there was no sound. Another transformation crossed her face and her eyes seemed suddenly strangely out of focus as she stared right through Mary and past the others. Her face contorted with frustration then passed just as quickly as it appeared, going slack.  
  
"I don't remember!" She burst out. Then she seemed to come to herself and burst into tears again. It was too much for the guys to handle and they said goodnight and hurried up to the Boy's Dormitory.  
  
Taylor moved closer to her best friend and slung an arm around her drawing her into a friendly embrace. Despite everything that had happened Taylor was willing to forgive Jenn and hoped the others would as well.  
  
"It's okay Jenn, we forgive you. It's over now, a thing of the past." Lily said comfortingly as if reading Taylor's mind.

"We all know it wasn't your fault." Diane chimed in.

As if on cue Jenn suddenly looked up and stared at Mary. The dark haired girl stared right back at her and once again their eyes connected. Mary's face was expressionless for several moments as she looked into Jenn's haunted eyes. Nothing was clear, there was darkness and yet there was light. Mary struggled knowing that Jenn's fate rested on her decision. She searched, delving deeper into the brunette's expression, and finally she surfaced with an answer.  
  
"I forgive you." Mary said softly. Everyone stared at Mary, unsure of what to do next. Then suddenly Jenn let out a loud angry sob.  
  
"I wish I remembered!" She wailed. "If only someone could tell you what really happened. But you'll never know, you'll never know that it was him! It was him, it was him that git, that f---" Jenn used some profane language that caused the others to look at her in shock.  
  
"Who was it Jenn, who are you talking about?" Mary asked desperately. But Jenn had begun to cry again choking on her tears and coughing. She was really upset now. Diane shot Mary a sharp glare that stopped her from saying anything else.  
  
"Come on Jenn, let's go up to the dormitory." Taylor said helping her to her feet.  
  
Supporting Jenn who now had truly gone to pieces they started up the stairs, disappearing into the Girls Dormitory.  
  
For a long time the common room was silent as the three remaining girls sat in silence. Finally Diane looked up from the fire and glanced at Lily and Mary.  
  
"Do you two get the feeling that Jenn was trying to tell us something?"  
  
"Yeah." Said Mary lifting her head. "Something fishy's going on."  
  
"Perhaps it had to do with, well maybe the one who did this to her was you-know-who." Lily and Mary glanced at Diane but so far Lily had not said a word.  
  
"I think you're right." Mary said nodding in agreement. Still Lily said nothing. Diane and Mary looked over at her expectantly.  
  
"What do you think Lily?" Diane asked finally. Lily looked up and sighed.  
  
"You really want to know what I think?" She asked them. It wasn't like Lily to hold back like this and Diane and Mary nodded wondering what she would say.  
  
"I think that one of his followers did this to her and I think she knows who it is." Lily hesitated for a moment. "But for some reason she can't tell us."  
  
"It's a he, that I gathered." Diane said.  
  
"And you're right she kept on trying to tell us but she was holding back." Mary agreed.  
  
"Maybe she's been threatened." Diane suggested.  
  
"Yeah maybe she has to keep quiet or it'll happen again or they'll kill her family or something." Mary piped up.  
  
"Or maybe..." Lily began, "It's magic that's stopping her."  
  
Mary and Diane looked alarmed at the idea. But after a few minutes it started to sink in that maybe Lily was right.  
  
"Do you two know any spells or potions that could keep someone silent?" Lily asked.  
  
"The Silencing Charm?" Mary suggested.  
  
"No." Lily shook her head.  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
"A Memory Charm?" Mary asked hesitantly.  
  
"No. She knows I know she knows." Lily began muttering under breath, deep in thought. Suddenly Diane spoke.  
  
"Lily there's a lot of spells that keep secrets safe." She said quietly. Her tone of voice caused both Mary and Lily to give her their full attention.  
  
"What do you mean?" Lily asked curiously.  
  
"Well before my parents were murdered, I heard them talking one day in the kitchen with Dumbledore and Mad Eye Moody." She swallowed hard but kept talking. "They were speaking about a variety of spells that could hide information or perhaps hide someone and their whereabouts." Once again she broke off. Every word seemed to be painful for her. Diane very rarely spoke about her parent's death, even with Sirius. They knew it was hard for her.  
  
"I don't remember any of the spells, but I know they exist and most of them," She turned pale. "Can be broken."  
  
It occurred to Lily what she was explaining. With a pang of pity Lily stretched out an arm to her friend. She still had both her parents living and they were both ignorant, loving muggles that had very little idea of the dangers that rested just outside the barrier to their world. She had heard a few stories about the death of Diane's parents and from what she had heard they had been courageous even in the last seconds of their lives, and had managed to hold them off long enough to save their daughter's life.  
  
"Well I'm going to bed." Diane said in a false cheery voice. She untangled herself from Lily's arms and left before anyone could say another word.  
  
"You know Diane does have a point, Lily." Mary said seriously. "I never really thought of it that way, but she could be right. That could be what's stopping Jenn from telling us and if we could just break through..." Mary trailed off weakly remembering Diane's parent's deaths.  
  
"I just wish we knew!" Lily exclaimed.  
  
"It's really bugging you, isn't it?"  
  
Lily nodded, she needed to know. Mary didn't seem to understand how important this was to her. Diane had just reminded her of the real reason it was making her so anxious. She needed to find out what was wrong with Jenn so she could breakthrough!  
  
"I'm going to the library!" Lily said jumping up from the floor.  
  
"Now?" Mary asked raising her eyebrows.  
  
"Yes I'm going right now." She announced.  
  
"Are you crazy?" Mary stared at her as if she had four heads. "It's three in the morning!"  
  
"Good point." Lily looked very discouraged but her face momentarily lit up at an idea.  
  
"We could use an invisibility charm!" She decided happily taking out her wand.  
  
"No!" Mary jumped up and grabbed her before she could perform the charm. "It can wait until tomorrow morning. I don't care how important this is to you, it won't be any good if you're expelled."  
  
Mary usually wasn't so paranoid about walking around the schools at night and it was this that really got Lily's attention. Mary wasn't any good with invisibility charms it was partly because of this that she freaked out but it was also because of something else. If Jenn had been put under the Imperius curse on school grounds, in the dark, then there might be someone still walking around the school just waiting for someone like Lily or herself so he could... Mary didn't want to think about it.  
  
Fear and panic seized her.  
  
"We're going to bed Lily. Come on we're going right now." And to her surprise...  
  
"Oh alright, but first thing tomorrow."  
  
"I know so let's just go to bed so can be up bright and early."  
  
"Yeah we all know you need your beauty sleep." Lily joked.  
  
"Not as much as you do dear." Mary quipped. The other girl laughed weakly.  
  
Lily sighed but followed Mary reluctantly up the steps and into the dormitory where they slept. Taylor, Jenn and even Diane were sound asleep or at least pretending to be. Lily changed and then got into bed listening to the sounds of Mary tripping over some objects that had been left in the middle of the room. As she closed her eyes she let everything in her mind drift away. And as Mary continued to quietly curse, Lily fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Not my best chapter, but I still like a few lines from this one. As I said before this half of the story is very different from the first. I'm still working on the ending, I have two endings basically written, I just have to decide on one of them. **

**Thanks to everyone that reviewed! You guys are the best! Next chapter... next weekend or sooner!**

**Tara-Yo: **I'm glad you're no longer confused, I have a tendency to confuse my readers, I'm trying to work on fixing that. Thanks for reviewing!

**Spawn32818: **I love the serious/sirius joke too! But you know what's sad... I didn't really get the joke until I saw the third movie and heard it pronounced for the first time correctly. I was pronouncing it wrong the entire time and I thought it meant something else! So now I can't stop laughing at myself. Thanks for reviewing!

**Amelia Bedelia: **You have to update Light and if you don't make them kiss soon I'm going to go insane, siriusly, I am. I want to see that movie! I'll have to go out and rent it one of these weekends. Well if you have writer's block for Light, (I can relate!), I'd love to read the Freddy story when you're finished with it, and I see the movie. I'll try to get on AIM ASAP. Thanks for reviewing!

**LMDGlUVR4EVA: **I do that all the time! I go back and read the story and then I guess, when I have time of course. But most of the time I don't and then I get it wrong. Look for the summary at the top of the next chapter!!!! It's a great idea and I'm going to start doing that, thanks for reviewing!

**Miss Strawberry-Chan: **More L/J fluff is on the way, hopefully. I know I should have put more in. Please forgive me! Please? Thanks for reviewing!

**Satan Barbie: **Nope, Hazel's neverending story continues. It shoots off in another direction but I kept writing this so I decided to post it. No one else knows what I'm talking about either so don't worry about it. Taylor's boyfriend's name is Jeff Prewett, I think I spelt his last name wrong but it's Jeff.

**KristiexxNguyen: **It was kind of a fake cliffie I guess, I just had to split the chapter so I split it there. Jenn didn't do much, but she might unintentionally do a little damage in the future. Thanks for reviewing!

**Elise: **I know the P.S.A.Ts are sooo exciting. Just think about how much fun we'll have with the S.A.T.s and a wonderful little Essay. They just had to add that little portion just in time for me. They couldn't have waited one more year! I have no idea what the PLAN is but good luck with that, if it's as bad as the PSATs, then it must be bad.

**Misakichi1: **I know poor Jenn, things get worse for Jenn, believe me, I'm not through torturing her just yet. Thanks for reviewing!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **Is Jenn up to something, you'll have to wait and see, but she is going to wreak a little damage in the future, but it might not be entirely her fault. Thanks for reviewing!

**Firefur1: **Yep, Jenn's back. Bad things are going to start happening in the near future, you'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for reviewing!

**LunaLovegood: **Hi Luna! Yeah I forgot her name too when I first wrote this I think. Yes I admit, I pour my emotions into the characters of this story, unfortunately, that can be a bad thing at times. Thanks for the compliments but all I can say is I love to write and the only talent I will take credit for is an overactive imagination that has a habit of making me write random stories and keeping me up throughout the night. Perhaps some day though... and yes I'm 16. The whole house point thing, no one else knew what I was talking about either so don't feel bad! I'll tell you all when it's over, right now if I say anything, it might be bad luck. I love reading your reviews, thanks again!

**Kaelin Brooke Spar: **I'm glad you like it and that you took the time to review. I'm going to feel really stupid asking this, but I am stupid, what does WFTNC stand for? Thanks for reviewing!

**LCH8292: **You should know that by now! Whenever things seem perfect the author has to go and wreak havoc and make the readers want to kill them. But eventually everything works out, most of the time. Thanks for reviewing!

**Limbo-gal: **Thank you, I still don't know where I got this story idea from but I like to think it's sort of unique, and I still laugh every time I read the part about the 8 ball. I must have been sick and on some sort of drug at the time. Thanks for reviewing!

**Granger-gurl-rox: **Things are going to get a little interesting and a little...dark...now that Jenn's back amongst the living, healthy people. The 8 ball always gives me the wrong answer, but I shake it 4 or 5 times, or 7 or 8, or 10 or 30 times and eventually I get what I want! No one else knows what I'm talking about, but I'm afraid it will be bad luck if I type it here so I'll wait until it's over and then I'll hopefully celebrate.

**Sweet Sarcasm: **I've been there, believe me I've come pretty close to going insane after one or two cliffies. I have to read your other story, I just haven't had time yet, with school, and trying to finish this story. (I'm stuck on the very last couple of chapters) Crazy psychotic biotch would be very interesting, but it wouldn't help me with the plot... You can decide after the ending whether I did the right thing or not, but I'm warning you, you might be disappointed. I'm saving that for the next story though. Yeah the 8 ball, I think I'm going to make my own with only the word "YES" in it. Wouldn't that be a great idea? Oh yeah and the whole review alert thing is extremely helpful! That's one of the better improvements of

**Beckus: **I updated, not too soon, but soon for my standards. No cliffies for this chapter, you should be thanking me! No it's not the election, but you're the only one who made a guess! Thanks for reviewing!

**Emmajo: **Thanks for reviewing all those chapters, you made my day with all those nice little reviews waiting in my inbox. I'm sure your story was good, but I have to go back and rewrite all my stories, I just haven't had the time. Thanks for the reviews!


	28. Fair Maidens and Noble Knights

**A/N: It's been a while. Life's been hectic, I'm sure you all know what I mean. I still have at least 10 more chapters of this story. I read through this one and it seemed alright so I figured, what the heck, I'll post it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 27 I'm sorry it took me so long to update.

* * *

**

**Cursed **

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 28: Fair Maidens and Noble Knights**

The next morning Lily was not up bright and early. In fact Lily barely made it to class on time.

The Marauders had found it extremely funny to allow the girls to oversleep. They waited until there was only 5 minutes remaining until class and then they woke them up. The girls had never moved so fast in their lives. They almost forgot that the four boys were still standing there in the open doorway waiting for the part where the girls would undress.

Taylor luckily caught this while the others were running around with their heads chopped off trying to find their makeup and books. She slammed the door shut in their face muttering something about how guys were complete idiots.

Despite the fact that they had such little warning, all five of the Gryffindor girls managed to make it to class without losing a single point. They were still 15 minutes late for class but they had History of Magic first block. Professor Binns was so engrossed in trying to bore the class to death that he hardly noticed as the group quietly took their usual seats.

Lily leaned forward in her chair and put her mouth next to her boyfriend's ear. "I am going to kill you for that." She hissed.

"For what?" James asked innocently.

"How could you let us oversleep? Didn't it ever occur to you that some of us don't waste our day away sleeping and actually have things to do?" She whispered angrily.

"Good morning to you too, Lily." James murmured as Lily sat back in her chair and took out her notes.

"What's up with her this morning?" He mouthed to Diane and Sirius who were sitting near by.

Sirius merely shrugged.

"She just doesn't like oversleeping." Diane assured him sleepily.

James seemed satisfied with her answer and went back to his daydreaming. But Diane took out a piece of parchment and scribbled a note to Lily. She crumbled it up and threw it expertly to the red head who was currently fuming.

_What's up with you this morning? Did something happen last night?_

Lily sighed and scribbled down a reply explaining her plan, passing it back to Diane. The other girl proceeded to read it and then tossed it back to Lily with her reply.

_What time do you want us to meet you there?_

Lily looked up at Diane who was currently pretending to pay attention to the old bore. She did some quick thinking then wrote down a time.

_Meet me there with Mary after dinner._

Lily hardly noticed Diane open it up and read it, and then toss the wad of paper to Mary's waiting hands. She was already lost in thought trying to figure out what might have happened to Jenn that terrible night.

* * *

After all of their classes were through Lily, Diane and Mary hurried down to the Great Hall and wolfed down their dinner. They were hoping to make it to the library before everyone else arrived but unfortunately this part of the plan did not go through.

"What's the rush?"

Lily looked up and found Jenn sitting in front of her watching them with interest as they stuffed food into their mouths.

"iph bothen" Mary said with her mouth full of food.

"What?" Jenn asked, unable to understand the reply.

"It's nothing." Lily translated. "We're just going down to the library to do our homework." She lied.

"Oh." Jenn looked as if she might continue but just then the Marauders came over to the table and sat down around them.

"Come on let's go." Diane hissed in Lily's ear.

They grabbed Mary by the arms before she could begin making eye contact with her boyfriend and stood up.

"Hey where are you going?" Remus called after them.

"The library." Diane answered.

Sirius choked on his Pumpkin Juice.

"Diane's going to the l-li-brary?" Then he started laughing. Diane shot him a harsh glare and waved her wand threateningly before turning her back on him.

The three girls marched out of the Great Hall and rushed to the library. It was almost empty. There were only a few third years gossiping in the corner, and a few studious fifth years sitting together in the back.

"This place gives me the creeps." Diane grumbled as they put their stuff down at a table. She glanced around nervously at the many books that surrounded her.

Lily just grinned. Diane was not exactly a studious student, come to think of it Diane hardly ever studied. Like the Marauders she seemed to have the gift of passing by pure luck and her real intelligence was easily masked. Often though Lily would force her and Mary to come study with her.

"I think you and Mary should start looking over there." Lily said pointing to a shelf near the restricted section.

"Okay but if that book obsessed woman Mad Pincher."

"Madam Pince." Lily corrected her with a laugh.

"Right if Madam Pinch, Pince, even so much as breathes on me then I'm getting out of here." Diane whispered.

Mary and Diane smothered their laughter knowing how obsessive Madam Pince could be about her precious books. Rules was another thing she obsessed about. She had a long list of rules posted on the door of all the things that were forbidden in the library. It was longer then Filch's list of forbidden objects which was growing longer every minute thanks to the Marauders excellent work.

"I'll go look over there, if you find anything interesting call me over." Lily went to another section and the three girls began the long process of searching for the right spell.

There were so many spells and curses, but none of them seemed to fit the description of what they were looking for. It had not been long before Lily realized that they were going to have to narrow down their search because they weren't getting anywhere.

At last though Lily found a large dusty volume of spells that looked like it might contain something of that sort. She was leafing through it when someone crept up behind her.

"Interesting book, but I don't think that's going to help you with the Charms essay." Lily jumped about a foot in the air when she saw James standing in back of her. Slamming the book she pushed it out of sight.

"Did I startle you?" His mischievous eyes brightened as he slid into the seat beside her.

"Just a little." Lily snapped grabbing the books and quickly moving toward the shelves.

She would have probably been just fine showing James what they were doing, but it was at that point that she noticed someone else with them. Jenn's eyes followed her across the library. Only when Remus stepped in front of Jenn to talk to Mary, blocking her view, did Lily hurriedly shove the books onto their proper shelves and calmly return to her seat.

"So what are you doing here?" Sirius asked glancing around at the many books and shuddering.

"Homework." Mary replied.

"That's a new one." James remarked dryly.

"Mind if we join you studious students in your homework gathering?" Sirius asked. The girls rolled their eyes and made room for them.

"If you're thinking of copying, don't even think of it!" Diane told him sternly.

"Who me? Never!" But he looked slightly disappointed as they sat down.

Lily couldn't help but notice the way James looked at her with a peculiar expression on his face. With a sinking feeling she realized that there would be questions. James had seen the book she had out.

What was ten times worse was the way Jenn kept on glancing at the three of them. It was almost as if she knew exactly what it had been about. Needless to say, Lily would be going undercover the next time she came in to look.

* * *

"Diane will you help me with this?" Sirius asked giving her his best innocent face.

A few hours had passed and now only Sirius, Jenn, Lily, Diane and James remained. Mary and Remus had finished their homework in record time and were now off doing who knows what. Peter had left as well saying he left something in the dormitory. He had been acting awfully weird lately, weirder then he usually did.

"Sirius we already went through this, I am not going to do your homework and neither is Lily." Diane said trying to concentrate on her Charms essay.

Of course Sirius Black didn't like being ignored and reached across the table grabbing her hand. It worked like a charm and Diane looked up.

"What?" She snapped.

"You're beautiful." He murmured.

"Sirius will you cut it out." Diane scowled and returned to her homework. But she felt his eyes on her as he planned his next scheme.

"What do you want?" She exclaimed.

"You." He gave her his best puppy dog face. It was one that even Diane could barely resist.

Sirius saw that he had her right where he wanted and jumped up walking to her side of the table. He put his hands on her shoulders and grinned down at her. She really was beautiful. Their gaze held for a moment and Diane rolled her eyes and got up from her seat.

"I'll be back in a moment Lily I just have to find that book." Then she walked into the bookshelves disappearing from view. She hid behind one of the shelves in the back and waited. Sirius followed but where had she gone now?

"Diane where are -" Diane grabbed him pulling him behind the book shelf. For a second they merely stared at each other then she leaned forward, drawing him close and kissed him. Sirius was quieter then a mouse concentrating on nothing but her. After a minute Diane broke away and scowled.

"I hate you." She whispered. Sirius merely grinned and started forward and they kissed again. But once more Diane stopped him.

"Why do you have to be so- so-so..." She was lost for words. They shared a short kiss and then Sirius suddenly grinned "irresistible?" He whispered.

Diane didn't answer him but once again there was silence behind the bookshelf.

"Diane sure seems to be having trouble finding that book." James remarked dryly.

"Hmmm, I wonder why?" Lily said sarcastically.

"The funny part is Sirius went to go help them so the two of them should be able to find that book." James raised his voice just slightly.

Jenn giggled, it was obvious that she still had a small crush on James. Lily was getting a little sick of Jenn's giggling and was now reminded why they were never friends before. Jenn was just obsessed with all guys.

"What time is it?" Lily asked rubbing her eyes.

James shrugged.

"My watch stopped a while ago." Lily took his wrist and glanced at the date that had frozen with the time weeks ago. It was the same day that James had lost his memory. Lily couldn't help but smile and James smiled back.

"You always were good with charms." He laughed.

Lily took out her wand and muttered a spell, tapping the watch twice. Immediately the watch sprung to life, the date and time even set to the second.

"Wow you're good." James said admiring her handy work.

"I know I am." Lily grinned, fingering her wand lovingly. Then she put it into her pocket.

"So what time is it?" Jenn asked getting a tad bit irritated.

**BANG!**

All three of them jumped. "Time to get out of the library." James answered.

Madam Pince went storming past them, moving toward the noise. It sounded like a bunch of books had fallen all at once. Lily gasped as she saw Sirius and Diane scrambling toward the door. Madam Pince spotted them just as their robes whipped around the corner.

"Hey you two! GET BACK HERE!" She went dashing toward the entrance.

But she didn't follow them. She was afraid that one of her precious books would be stolen if she left. Instead she turned and faced the other students.

"Did anyone see who those two were?" She barked.

Lily, James and Jenn shrunk lower and lower in their seats trying to look as innocent as possible.

"You three in the back." She had noticed.

"You three, you were sitting with them. Who were they?" She breathed on them waiting for their reply.

"I have absolutely no idea." James said giving her his famous look of innocence.

"You were sitting with them you must know who they are!" Her voice was rising steadily. But all three of them would not say a word and acted as if they had no clue what was going on.

"I'm locking the door then, until you speak and tell me who they are. Perhaps then you'll rethink turning your friends in." Madam Pince walked to the door and slammed it shut.

**CLICK!**

"No." Lily whispered in horror.

They were locked in the library with Madam Pinch!

"You can't do this to us!" One boy exclaimed jumping to his feet.

"Oh yes I can." Madam Pince grinned and went back to her desk.

From across the room Lily and the others could hear her breathing in anticipation of their confession. Already the younger students were getting irritable and sulky hissing insults across the room to the other three. Lily didn't know how long she could put up with it.

"I'm going to talk to her." Jenn exclaimed.

She got up and left the table. Lily watched with James and knew that her efforts would be fruitless. Madam Pince had turned a deaf ear on her and wasn't listening. There was no way out of it, or was there? The suddenly everything clicked.

Lily turned to the wonderful person sitting next to her. For once she was very glad that it was someone with a long list of detentions in his record.

"Jaaaammmmessss." Lily purred sounding ridiculously like Jenn.

"Liillllllleeeeeee." James copied her voice.

"Do you think you could do me a very big favor?" Lily asked in her sweetest voice.

"What kind of favor?" James asked looking mildly interested.

"Could you kindly get us out of this library?" Lily batted her eyelashes just for good measure.

James was indeed amused by this but he struggled to keep a straight face. He pretended to look at his nails, his face suddenly looking pale as if this were his worst nightmare.

"I don't know Lily, getting past that mean old librarian is going to be tough. You don't know what's up her sleeve." James said in a grave voice.

Lily slowly moved closer to him, never taking her eyes off of him.

"I could get hurt Lily, seriously, I could be injured." James continued his voice wavering slightly.

Lily's body was now touching his. She rested her head on his chest and gave him her best look of persuasion.

"James you're the only one for the job. We need your help." She whispered dramatically.

"What if I'm killed?" He asked touching her cheek.

"You'll die trying to save me, you won't die in vain." She said softly.

"Since I probably won't be alive tomorrow let's act as if this is my last day. Let us" Lily saw immediately where this was going but was unable to move out of the way in time.

He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. It took all of Lily's efforts to push him away.

"What now? These could be my last minutes!" He exclaimed.

"Shhhhh. Not in front of the kids." Lily pointed to the group of spectators behind her. A few of them booed, others were clapping and whistling. A few kids were disgusted.

"I'm going to die Lily and you don't care. I'm hurt, you won't even grant me my death wish." James went on dramatically. Lily couldn't help it she grinned. A giggle bubbled up inside of her and before she could stop it she was giggling uncontrollably.

She was still giggling when Jenn came back to the table, disappointed and angry.

"Cut it out you two love birds." She snapped taking her seat.

Lily managed to stop eventually and turned to James.

"It's alright James if you're too scared we could always just forget about you being a coward." Lily quickly cut in.

"I'm ready." James said setting his jaw into a firm line.

"Are you sure, you might get caught and get a detention and heaven only knows how much you dislike those-"

James cut her off with a kiss. Jenn began making retching noises (she was still in a bad mood) and the crowd of spectators came to life. It was short lived though.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Lily asked him once more.

James grinned letting the words roll off of him.

"Trust me Lily, I'm a marauder." Then he waved to her and walked toward the front desk, ready to take on the evil librarian in her fortress.

James gave the librarian one of his best smiles and began speaking to her in a quiet voice. Jenn and Lily strained to hear what he was saying but they were unsuccessful eavesdroppers. James was now turning on the charm, something that used to drive Lily mad. Lily could tell by the way he leaned toward the lady and his grin spread and his eyes were directly on the librarian as if she were the queen. Yes, it was the Potter charm alright. A grin twitched across her face. She prayed it would work.

"You know what I'm going to do as soon as I get out of here." Jenn murmured to Lily, enjoying the show as well.

"Kill Sirius and Diane?" Lily replied reading her mind.

"Lily are you sure you can't read minds?" Jenn asked in surprise.

The two girls turned to each other realizing that they actually agreed on something and were in the same situation. Then suddenly they both laughed.

Jenn wasn't so bad after all, Lily thought to herself. She really was a good person underneath you just had to look past her raging hormones. Lily laughed inwardly at this and returned her thoughts to James who was still working on Madam Pince.

Suddenly James began gesturing toward the other students and Madam Pince began reluctantly nodding.

"I think it's working." Jenn said to her with a smile.

The two girls waited hopefully as James returned to the table and Madam Pince stood up. He flashed them a grin, a sure sign of success. The crabby witch sighed and then moved toward the door with such slowness that Lily could have sworn she was moving in slow motion.

**Click!**

"Can we go now?" A Slytherin girl asked.

"Yes you may go." Every word seemed to be killing her but Madam Pince spat the sentence out and allowed them to leave.

Lily and Jenn grinned and then both rushed toward James at once.

"You're a life saver!" Jenn squealed.

"I love you!" Lily shrieked.

"Calm down, don't all strangle me at once. I know I'm great but it won't do any good if you suffocate me."

The two girls stepped away from him allowing him to breathe.

"You're our hero." Lily told him and Jenn nodded in agreement.

"Well hold on a second and let me fill you in on the catch."

"There's a catch?" Jenn stuttered.

"Yeah we have to stay in here for another week." James said seriously.

Jenn dropped, nearly missing her chair. Lily's face made it seem like Christmas had been canceled.

"You're joking." Lily said at last.

"Well obviously."

Lily and Jenn forced a laugh and looked very relieved indeed.

"There is a catch though." James sighed.

"And that is..." Jenn waited impatiently.

"We have to put all the books back on their shelves by hand, no wands." Lily and Jenn groaned but it was better then staying for another week.

The three trudged over to the bookshelf and started putting the books back onto the shelf. It wasn't very hard work. Halfway through it there was a coughing noise and the three students looked up from their work. Madam Pince was standing there looking very guilty indeed.

"It's alright. You may go if you want." She said.

Jenn leapt to her feet but Lily and James did not move from where they were. Jenn saw their looks of pity and reluctantly sat down with them as well.

"It's alright we'll finish." James said with a charming grin.

"No really you mustn't." The old witch was blushing.

Lily and Jenn tried very hard not to laugh.

"Alright I'll tell you what. We'll finish but we're going to use magic." James said in a compromise.

The witch blushed again and made what must have been some sort of smile.

"You're such a good boy, but if you insist on doing so.." James gave her a wink and the witch turned beat red. Lily thought her ribs might crack from trying to hold it in.

Lily, Jenn and James got to their feet and collaborated for a moment. Then Lily performed a charm on the books so that they would have to levitate them one at a time. In minutes all of the books were back on the shelves and the three were heading out the door.

"James I have to admit you're wonderful." Lily said skipping through the corridors.

"Don't mention it." James grinned.

"Marauders sure do come in handy during times like these. I should get myself one. Do you think they have them for rent?" Jenn joked. The other two laughed.

"Well I simply had to lend a helping hand to the damsels in distress." James said.

"Oh yes James you're my hero. You saved me from the evil librarian. You broke down the walls of the fortress of her heart and you saved us." Lily put a hand to her forehead and pretended to faint.

James easily caught her in his arms and swept her off her feet (literally). He cradled her in his arms like a small child. Lily put her arms around his neck.

Jenn shook her head and started walking ahead of them knowing that they would take their time.

"Does the hero get his reward for saving this lovely maiden?" James asked.

"Yes he most certainly does." Lily smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

James frowned.

"That's all?"

"Yep."

"After saving the distressful maiden and her lady in waiting and braving that dragon of a librarian that's all this noble knight receives, a mere peck on the cheek?"

Lily nodded and giggled.

"Fine then I'll put you down and make you walk back to the common room." James threatened.

"I'm a lady, the fair maiden, you're supposed to carry me back to your castle." Lily retorted.

"Lady or not, I'm putting you down."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh yes I would! Watch me!" James did nothing though because at this point Lily moved closer to his chest, resting her weary head on his shoulder.

A while passed and James was still carrying her and Lily had a smug smile on her face. James was actually enjoying having her close to him, resting in his arms, though he wouldn't admit it.

"You owe me one." He muttered.

Lily just giggled and snuggled closer to him.

* * *

"Did you see her face?" Sirius exclaimed.

Immediately he began imitating the librarian's antics causing Diane to start laughing again. The memory of them knocking into the bookshelf, causing a cascade of books to fall was still fresh in her mind. But the best part was when Madam Pince came charging after them stopping at her doorway and screamed after them.

"You two get back here!" He mimicked her shrill voice.

Then he turned on Diane mimicking the librarians glaring beady eyes and lunged toward her. Diane shrieked but Sirius caught her and they both started laughing again. She was laughing so hard that she had to lean on Sirius to remain on her feet. It had been hysterical.

"Come on we have to get back to the common room." Diane gasped.

Sirius gave her a glare that strongly resembled the one that Madam Pince was famous for and that set her off again. He slipped an arm around her shoulder, supporting her as she started laughing uncontrollably once more.

By the time they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady Diane had calmed down considerably and was able to manage saying the password.

"Gee, I wonder where everyone else has gotten too." Diane said aloud as she and Sirius entered an empty common room. Or so they thought...

"What the-?" Something wet had fallen onto her head and Sirius too was looking around in confusion as something hit his head as well.

Diane looked up and gasped tugging on Sirius' sleeve. Sirius looked up as well and his jaw dropped. Standing on the staircase above them was Lily, James and Jenn and they all had water balloons.

"Hi guys!" Jenn exclaimed waving with a large grin on her face.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sirius asked staring up at James.

"We're just getting a little revenge." James said with a wink at Diane.

"But you wouldn't, no you wouldn't throw those at" Diane shrieked as Lily threw a water balloon at her, hitting her shoes and the ends of her robe.

"Oops sorry." Lily said covering her mouth innocently.

"You little -" But just then James and Jenn launched their own water balloons soaking both Sirius and Diane.

Lily went and pulled a whole bucketful out and she, Jenn and James starting taking aim. Soon the air was filled with flying water balloons only interrupted by Diane's shrieks, Sirius swears and the splash of a balloon hitting its target.

It got all the more confusing when Mary and Remus walked in. Mary got hit with a water balloon so she went and joined Diane's team while Remus joined James since he had the bucket. Sirius took advantage of the moment and went and stole the bucket from Jenn, soaking her in the process. It looked as if the tides of the war had changed but then James went and summoned another bucket from god only knows where, and his team had full artillery once more.

Some of the younger Gryffindors got caught in the war and a few joined them. Mary switched teams near the end of it betraying Diane and Sirius after she learned that Lily, James and Jenn had good reason behind the bombardment of water balloons. And Taylor walked in at the end of it and fell on the floor laughing as Diane and Sirius reluctantly surrendered to the other team.

Lily, Jenn and James triumphantly seized their victory. But then just as James was giving his victory speech Diane threw a final water balloon at him. They all ended up laughing and only just managed to clean up before their head of house Professor McGonagall came in wondering what all of the ridiculous racket was about.

"We were just celebrating out quidditch win." James said innocently.

"Potter you won that game four weeks ago."

"That doesn't mean we still can't celebrate kicking the Slytherin's ar- I mean their loss." James caught himself just in time.

"Why are you all wet?" She asked Sirius.

"I fell in the lake." Sirius said grinning.

"You want me to believe that all of you fell in the lake?" She asked gesturing to the other students who nodded going along with whatever Sirius said.

"Well yeah, we were looking for the giant squid and we kind of just fell in." Sirius said innocently.

The Professor stared at the other students suspiciously, wondering if perhaps she ought to check if the Pumpkin Juice at dinner was spiked.

"Very well." She shook her head and then left the common room, wondering how crazy kids like Potter and Black got into Gryffindor, and how she had survived these seven years with those two in her house.

* * *

"I should kill you Lily Marie Evans!" Diane exclaimed drying her hair in the bathroom.

Lily muffled a giggle. All five of them were back in the Girls dormitory and still laughing about the whole water balloon scenario.

"If you hadn't got so distracted in the library with Sirius and knocked over a whole shelf of books maybe we wouldn't have this problem."

"She did what?" Taylor asked.

Jenn grinned and explained the whole library incident from the beginning to the end, much to the agony of a very red Diane.

"And so we wanted to teach them a lesson so I came up with the idea of water balloons and James got them for us." Jenn finished.

"That was your idea?" Taylor asked her eyes widening.

Jenn nodded and swelled with pride.

"That was brilliant!" Taylor exclaimed.

"Yeah we couldn't have done it without Jenn." Lily grinned at Jenn who beamed. The two girls exchanged a high five and laughed.

Mary watched in silence a slight smile forming on her face. It was amazing how much had changed in only a few hours. Jenn was laughing and joking with them as if she had done it all seven years. It was then that Mary realized that Jenn was now a part of their circle just as Taylor had been only a few weeks before. And for once Mary could only see nothing but good things for them. Lily was with James, Diane was finally with Sirius, Taylor had her Ravenclaw sweetheart, Jenn had been making eyes at a boy in their Transfiguration class, and she, Mary, was with Remus Lupin. A broad grin spread across her face. They were in their seventh year nearing graduation, everything seemed perfect. What could go wrong?

Everything.

But at that moment Mary wasn't thinking about the world outside of Hogwarts but rather about the joys of being seventeen.

**A/N: Chapter 29 will be posted soon. I swear!**


	29. You Can't Hide

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Summary: _During a Detention Lily blasts James with a spell that causes him to forget parts of his memory and fall madly in love with her. She can't help but fall for him and they become a couple. Their time together involves setting up their friends in Hogsmeade, a bet, and a murder attempt on the Gryffindor girl's life by their room mate, Jenn, James's ex-girlfriend. (who was under the imperius curse) Gradually James recovers his memory and blames Lily. For a short time there's trouble in paradise. Realizing their fate Lily and James resolved everything during a second Potions detention. The trouble begins when Jenn is released from the hospital. Can they trust her? One thing's for certain, Jenn has a deadly secret that could destroy or save the wizarding world. _**

**Chapter 29: You Can't Hide**

_It was a dark night in the forest. The wind shivered through the trees causing an eerie howl to go up through the forest. Though the breeze stopped, the howl continued piercing the dark night. A shadow moved uneasily fumbling with a wand. The hood fell back as he bent down to pick it up revealing momentarily the face of a boy with greasy black hair and a long crooked nose. The howl suddenly stopped and the boy relaxed, wand firmly in his hand and standing up tall. His glittering black eyes and greasy hair were once again hidden as the hood went back up. A while passed and the boy began to mutter about someone being late. _

Suddenly the forest around him was filled with noise. The trees around him rustled, twigs cracked, and the unmistaken able sound of footsteps was heard coming toward the clearing. Once again the howl sounded and the boy inadvertently jumped, his hood once again falling back. The noise stopped.

"Who-who goes there?" His voice quivered as his wand shook in his hand.

Another cloaked figure emerged from the forest and immediately the greasy haired boy relaxed and his hood went up again.

"Severus?"

"It's about time Wormtail." The greasy haired boy snarled.

"I'm sorry I-"

"It doesn't matter, I have a message for you from our master."

There was a quick intake of breath, a sound of fear. When the other, Wormtail, spoke it was with a quivering voice.

"What- what-what's t-t-the message?" Wormtail trembled with every syllable. Snape was thoroughly enjoying every moment of it but the useless boy had already wasted enough time getting here.

"Finish the job in one week or else ..."

"What job?" Wormtail asked dumbfounded.

Snape sneered at him. What a useless boy, one week and the job would be his. It was a guarantee.

"You have a whole week to figure that out. Have a nice night Wormtail." Snape snickered and then left the forest leaving the other alone in the woods.

"Lily!"

* * *

Lily jumped, her eyes snapping open. She glanced around in a panic, wondering where she was. A hand seized her shoulder and Lily found herself face to face with James Potter. Immediately she relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You scared me."

"I figured that when you jumped about a foot in the air." James said grinning.

"What time is it?" Lily asked looking around. She was in the library again, and judging by the amount of people, zero, it had to be late.

"It's a little past eleven." James replied glancing at his newly repaired watch.

"Whoa, I couldn't have been here for that long." Lily had came down around six and last she remembered it had been 8 o'clock with another hour to spare.

"You fell asleep."

"I did?"

James nodded.

Lily ran a hand through her red hair and glanced down at the stack of books in front of her. She had only meant to close her eyes for a moment but apparently she had no control over it. Sighing she got up, taking the books with her and went to the shelves. James helped her put the books back and then they went back to the table and got her book bag.

"I'll carry that for you." James took her book bag from her before she could utter a protest. He really was a gentleman, when he wanted to be.

They walked out of the library in silence, content just to be in each other's presence. James had his arm around her waist and Lily couldn't help but rest her head on his shoulder.

"Lily?"

"Yes James."

"What have you been doing in the library for the past three days?"

Lily drew in a sharp breath. She had been prepared for this question and had tried to avoid it at all costs, but she couldn't keep lying to him.

"I've been doing some research on spells." She explained.

"Could you be a little more specific?" James asked her patiently.

"Well we've been looking up spells that could keep a person quiet or hide a secret. Diane and Mary have been helping me." Lily continued slowly.

There was a pause and Lily waited, watching James, knowing that he was about to make the connection.

"Wait does this have anything to do with Jenn?"

"Yes that's precisely what it has to do with." And then Lily began to explain to him the whole situation and what she had in mind.

James listened to her with open ears and then the two of them began brainstorming ideas until the reached the Gryffindor Common Room. Lily was impressed with James knowledge of the subject. She had always thought he had hated Charms, but now she began to wonder if perhaps there was a lot about James that she didn't know.

"Can I ask you a question James?" Lily asked him as they stood at the bottom of the staircase that led to their separate dorms.

"Sure ask away."

"How did you know so much about those spells and charms?"

James was quiet for a long time then he looked away. Lily got the vague feeling that perhaps he had had a similar experience to Diane's.

"It's alright I was just curious." She said hastily.

James shook his head and turned to her. Carefully he took her hands in his. He looked directly into her eyes and whispered.

"I can trust you, right?"

Lily nodded. She trusted him with all her heart and she hoped that he did in return.

"A few months ago the Aurors got word that Voldemort has a list of targets, people that he's decided he's going to murder." James paused for a moment and Lily could almost see where this was going. Her heart sank when she saw the look of pain in his eyes.

""Potter" is at the top of his list."

There was a long silence where James just looked at their hands and Lily stared at him unable to think of something to say.

"You're the first person I told." James said in a hoarse whisper.

"Oh, James." Lily whispered.

She stepped forward and drew him into her arms. He welcomed her wrapping his own arms around her. The two of them stood together like this for a long time each thinking their own private thoughts. James wondered how much time he and his family had left. Lily wondered why Voldemort had to be so cruel. It was a long time before James finally broke away and kissed her good night. Then he left for the Boys Dormitory leaving Lily at the bottom of the staircase, alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Diane closed the door behind her with a loud sigh of relief. She was glad to be out of there. Taylor had been humming to herself and raving about her Ravenclaw sweetheart. Everything from the color of his eyes to the color of his socks had been discussed in great detail. She had been behind the curtains speaking in a quiet voice but Diane had heard her anyway, being the only one awake. Everyone else was sleeping, everyone except Lily.

Diane grinned wickedly knowing that James had gone to go look for her. Right now the couple was probably having a little bit of fun in some hidden corner of the school.

Halfway down the steps Diane heard the low murmur of voices. She slowed down recognizing them.

"I can trust you, right?"

Yes that was most certainly James. And if she wasn't mistaken Lily must be with him. They were probably having a pleasant good night. Diane smothered a giggle and decided that she would sneak up on them.

"A few months ago the Aurors got word that Voldemort has a list of targets, people that he's decided he's going to murder."

Diane stopped dead nearly losing her footing and falling down the remainder of the steps. This was not a conversation she wanted to hear. She turned around and started tiptoeing back up the steps but not before she heard those dreadful words that made her heart drop and her feet stop in their tracks.

""Potter" is at the top of his list."

Diane froze, shaking all over. She squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her hands over her ears wishing she could erase it all from memory. The memories were fighting to get through. Diane held them back swallowing hard.

"You're the first person I told."

She wouldn't give in, she was not going to relive it all over again. It was too painful, she didn't want to remember! Diane quietly sat down on the step, dropping her head into her hands.

"Oh, James."

It was all coming back to her, she couldn't stop it. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall feeling the rush in her mind and the swirl of confusion as she was taken back to another time and another place that she thought she had left behind.

* * *

_  
Diane opened her eyes and found herself back on the Hogwarts Express. She was sitting in the usual compartment that she shared with Lily and Mary staring at something in her hands. Instantly she recognized it as a letter addressed to her. It was from her mother obviously judging from the loopy handwriting. Carefully she tore open the seal and unfolded it. _

"My Precious Daughter,

I hope that you did well on your Owls Exams. Your father and I are looking forward to those "Outstanding" scores. We cannot wait to have you home again. The house has become so lonely and empty without you. We've missed you! Due to the circumstances we would like you to come home by way of floo powder. We're sorry we won't be able to meet you at the Platform but we will explain everything to you once you get home. I will be counting down the hours to your arrival, anticipating every second that draws nearer.

With Love,  
Mother

P.S. If you have any trouble finding the Floo network, I'm sure your friend Sirius will be more then willing to help you out."

Diane chuckled at the last line. Her mother never failed to drop hints about Sirius in all of her letters. Her mother seemed to believe that she and Sirius were a perfect match and she would go to any extent to make this clear. When they were younger Sirius and Diane found this embarrassing but as the years went on they learned to deal with her crazy fantasy, sometimes even putting an act on for her.

"We're just friends!"

_Shaking her head she wondered when her mother would understand that they were only friends. _

She reread the letter once more her eyes narrowing as the beginnings of a frown formed on her face. Lately the letters from her family hadn't said much which was unusual since Diane was their only child and they usually wrote novels to her. But now the letters were short and talked more about how much they missed her and the weather, making small talk instead of answering her questions. Something was going on at home, the fact that they weren't even going to meet her at the train station just encouraged this idea. She silently hoped everything was okay. But before she could dwell on this further the compartment door was flung open.

"Save us!" Sirius Black and Remus Lupin came barging into the compartment before Mary or Diane could protest, slamming the door behind them.

"What-" Mary leapt to her feet.

"Don't ask questions, just lock it!" Sirius whispered sitting down across from her which proved a big mistake for someone was already -

"OUCH!"

"Diane?"

"GET OFF OF ME!"

There was a thump and both Diane and Sirius were thrown to the floor in their hurry to get away from each other.

"That's my leg you're sitting on!"

"Ow!"

"Move!"

"That hurt!"

"Then get off of me!"

Mary and Remus exchanged a glance. Mary could barely suppress a grin as Diane and Sirius got themselves untangled and separated. Diane was looking very unhappy since Sirius had sat on her and then pulled her to the floor with him.

"What are you two doing here?" Diane asked narrowing her eyes and getting back on her seat. She ran a hand through her curly hair automatically as she surveyed the two boys.

"Um well you see we got into a little trouble on our way here and we had to hide -" Sirius began.

"so we came here and well there after us and so-" Remus filled in.

"What'd you do now?" Mary asked with a groan.

"Just a little tiny harmless prank." Sirius said innocently.

"What kind of prank?" Diane asked.

"No biggee we just temporarily stuck two certain people together, only temporarily of course..." Sirius began but Mary cut him off.

"It wasn't - please tell me you didn't - no you wouldn't be that stupid - it wasn't them by any chance, was it?"

There was an uneasy silence and Remus turned to her fidgeting slightly.

"Well um what if it was them that we glued together?"

_Mary proceeded to bang her head against the window muttering something about idiots. _

"What were you thinking?" Diane exclaimed turning on Sirius.

"Well we thought it would be funny-"

"YOU THOUGHT it would be FUNNY? STICKING THEM TOGETHER, giving them another reason to KILL us, you thought that was FUNNY?" She grabbed Sirius by the shoulders and shook him with surprising force for such a small girl.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!" She repeated.

"Relax-" Sirius began trying to loosen her hands that were currently cutting his circulation off.

"They're going to go psycho when they get loose! And then they're going to come in here with their wands and I don't even want to think of it!" Diane went on ranting finally letting go of poor Sirius.

"Calm down!" Remus said as Sirius rubbed his weary neck.

"I can't be calm!" Diane was hysterical.

"They're never going to find us now." Mary said sarcastically as Diane raised her voice to a feverish pitch.

"Well maybe if TWEEDLE DEE and TWEEDLE DUM hadn't come in here, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place!"

Silence reigned as the three others just stared at Diane who was red in the face and breathing heavily.

"Are you done yet?" Sirius asked calmly, completely unfazed by her outburst.

"NO!" Diane folded her arms over her chest and turned to face the window, away from the others.

"Now I know why she gets along so well with Lily." Remus whispered to Mary, a look of awe was on his face.

"How do you think I feel, I'm the one that puts up with them." Mary whispered back.

"I heard that!" Diane snapped.

Mary and Remus shut their mouths. Sirius looked expectantly at Mary and then back at Diane but Mary made a motion with her hands and shook her head. Sirius sighed and put a hand on Diane's shoulder.

"Look Diane we just wanted to-"

"Don't talk to me and get your hand off of me."

"But Diane we're sorr- DUCK!"

Diane was suddenly yanked to the floor. An arm was around her pressing her face first into the carpet. Her breath came in short gasps as multicolored flashes of lights filled the room. Spells rocketed off the bags and ceiling and windows and one shattered in the process.

_Just as suddenly as it had began it was over and the footsteps were retreating, the compartment door shattering in the process as it was slammed shut. For a long moment Diane just lay there breathing and then slowly she lifted her head and turned to find Sirius. _

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said softly.

With the help of Sirius' strong arms she was back in a kneeling position upon the floor, surveying the damage. Mary and Remus got up shakily as well and stared in horror at the destroyed compartment.

"They really did want to kill us." Remus murmured, a puzzled look on his face.

Mary got to her feet.

"Be careful!" Diane and Remus said in unison.

Mary ignored them and walked to the compartment door, peeked her head out and then walked toward the window and poked her head out as well. When she turned to look back at them confusion had filled her dark eyes.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked worriedly.

"The train's stopped." Mary whispered.

"We're there already?" Sirius asked his arm sneaking around Diane.

Mary shook her head.

"That's the problem."

She came and sat down with the others.

"_I think they went into the next compartment too." She whispered. No one moved to get back on their seats but instead remained on the floor huddled together for protection. _

"Do you really think Lily and James could do something like this?" Diane asked. She hadn't made Sirius move his arm but instead seemed to find it comforting.

"Maybe." Remus shrugged but they were all wondering if perhaps it hadn't been Lily and James... but maybe it had been someone else...

_The minutes passed in silence. No one could think of anything to say and no one dared to move not wanting the intruders drawn to the sound. They grew increasingly nervous as the minutes were drawn out and began to fidget and sit closer together for protection. Diane had somehow put her head on Sirius chest and he now had both arms around her. She was vaguely aware of his hands stroking her hair as she listened to the rhythm of his beating heart. Across from her Mary and Remus were sitting shoulder to shoulder, whispering every once and a while. _

"What's that?" Mary asked suddenly.

Diane lifted her head from Sirius' chest and turned white. It was the sound of footsteps.

"Someone's coming!" She gasped.

They didn't know what to do. All of them were praying that it wasn't-

"I found them!"

There was a collective gasp as Lily Evans came stumbling into the compartment with a relieved smile on her face. And a few steps behind her came James Potter with a similar expression on his face. Lily fell to her knees in front of her friends and drew both Mary and Diane into a warm embrace.

"Lily-"

"What-"

Lily drew back still smiling though she looked exhausted for some reason. There was a cut down the side of her cheek and her robes were singed.

"What happened to you?" Sirius asked his eyes traveling to James who looked just as ragged and tired as Lily did.

The other three stared at them wondering the same thing. Before any of them could voice this thought, Sirius spoke again.

_"You two were fighting again, weren't you." _

"No." Lily said.

"Well sort of but-" James began but Sirius interrupted.

"You're going to kill each other one of these days you know. If you two would just stop and see-"

"Sirius we-"

"you nearly killed us coming into the compartment-"

"Listen Sirius-"

"what do you think you're doing coming flying in here with all those curses-"

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone turned to see Lily, her face beat red and her eyes red. Her eyes were shining with tears that would never fall.

"It wasn't us that came in here! We were fighting, because Potter-"

"Well Evans if you hadn't decided to-"

"Just continue!" Mary exclaimed before they could start. James and Lily gave her an icy stare but Lily continued.

"The train stopped and a group of people must have got on. We heard screams and then we followed and we found these black cloaked men shooting spells, running from compartment to compartment causing havoc. And then..." Lily trailed off a look of horror in her eyes. For once in his life James was sympathetic and took over the story without a comment.

"They were Death Eaters." He said softly.

The others gasped again. James nodded and Lily buried her face into her hands. James cast a glance at her and then started again.

"L-Evans and I followed them and when we got there we helped out. There were a lot of others there but some people got injured and one boy - well they killed him." James finished in a quiet voice.

"He was dead when we got there and his eyes were open and oh it was terrible!" Lily began rocking back and forth though no tears fell from her red watery eyes.

For one split second Lily thought that James might consider comforting her but the thought vanished in the next second.

"Evans decided to lock us together."

"I DID NOT!"

"We were glued, but luckily Mr. Brilliant Potter found a way too-"

"It wasn't me, it was you!"

"It was not!"

"It was too!"

"You disgust me why would I do such a thing!"

"Potter don't make me get my wand."

"Why don't you? Then I can finish you off."

Diane buried her head into Sirius chest suppressing a groan. Things were never going to change.

* * *

"Diane."

Someone was shaking her out of her trance. She felt a hand on her shoulder tighten and finally she blinked, jerking her head up to see who it was.

"Hi Lily." Diane croaked looking into her friend's green eyes.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked quietly. Her face was filled with concern.

"Perfectly." Diane said in an entirely too cheerful voice with an entirely too fake happy smile.

"No you're not." Lily said seeing right through it.

Diane sighed, it was no use lying. Lily sat down on the step beside her putting an arm around her best friend. Diane dropped her head into her hands hoping for some escape from her messy past, but all she found was another memory just waiting to be opened.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"Nothing." Diane whispered.

Lily scowled.

"I'm not stupid."

"I know."

"Then tell me what's wrong." Lily said softly.

"No! I mean I can't." Diane sighed again.

"Could you just give me some time?" She asked her sympathetic friend.

Lily looked a little disappointed but she nodded giving her a small smile. She got up from the steps and started to walk away but then suddenly stopped and turned around.

"How much did you hear?" She asked Diane quietly.

"All of it." Diane said miserably.

Lily nodded again staring at the floor. She had a rough guess as to what Diane might be thinking, or worrying about. Then she turned away giving Diane the space that was necessary.

Once again Diane leaned back against the wall closing her eyes. Like a sealed envelope or a locked door, the memory burst forth breaking the seal like an eager child, and breaking the locks like a freed man. Diane prepared herself for the worst. She was ready, to relive that fateful day.

* * *

**Author's Note: Er yeah, Ch. 30 will probably be up this week too, since it's basically Part II of this chapter. I know, I'm really going off the deep end here, and you're probably bored to tears. But I decided to post all this stuff since I have it pre written. I think I wrote all this stuff when someone I went to school with died. (I didn't know him, but still) Weird, how stuff like this affects your writing and you don't even realize it.**

**LMDGlUVR4EVA: **Look! I put in a summary! See, I took your advice. I think I should've taken it before though because I got one or two people who said huh, I don't remember ever reading this story. Thanks for the advice!

**elmindreda13: **Aww thanks. There's still at least 10 more to go. Thanks for reviewing!

**HarryluvsMoaningMyrtle: **I like your pen name. Hehe. I updated and it's been less than two weeks since I posted Ch.28! Thanks for reviewing!

**limbo-gal: **Thanks Emma, I'll try. Oh you thought the ending was interesting? Hopefully that's a good thing. Thanks for reviewing!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **Thanks for reviewing Erin and I will be updating quickly!

**Sweet Sarcasm: **Yeah life's still out of control, I'm just temporarily escaping it. I imagine probably no one remembers what happened in this ff, since I seem to update on an annual basis. It's sad since I already have this whole thing rewritten. Thanks for leaving a review!

**wudnulike2know: **Another great pen name. God, mine's so boring. I'm glad you thought the chapter was funny, my humors very different. I love writing Diane/Sirius! More to come in future chapters!


	30. The Ghosts of the Past

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Summary: _James tells Lily that his parents are in danger and Voldemort wants them dead. Diane, who's parents were murdered over a year ago, hears and recalls a memory from when she was sixteen. The flashback involves a fight between Lily and James, and a Death Eater attack on the train that leaves at least one student dead. Diane realizes that she can't fight the memories anymore. The past has finally caught up with her. _**

**Chapter 30: The Ghosts of the Past**

_"I'm home!" Diane dropped her trunk loudly on the ground. It resounded through the empty living room, echoing. _

Diane couldn't help but feel a little shiver of fear. Where was everyone? Her parents said they would be waiting for her, they didn't come to the train station, and now here she found the living room empty. This was not a good sign. Of course it didn't help that the train had been attacked!

She should have brought Sirius home with her. He had offered to accompany her to her house but she had said she'd be fine on her own. She silently cursed, wishing that she had taken him up on his offer.

Silently she tiptoed across the floor, her heart thudding in her chest. What would she find? Would it be like on the train where Lily came face to face with the boy, his eyes unmoving and his life stolen? Diane's heart caught in her throat and she stopped at the sound of voices. There were people in the kitchen! And the voices did not belong to her parents.

Diane crept quietly toward the door. She pulled her wand from her pocket and held it out as the low murmur of voices grew louder with her every step. She reached for the door and was just about to fling it open when she heard a woman's voice that she recognized as her mother's.

"We'd have to stay in the house for months!"

Diane stopped and her ears opened up. After hanging around with Sirius and Remus all those years she knew the art of eavesdropping and had mastered it with practice. They hadn't even sound proofed the door! This was too easy.

"Well it could be a few short weeks or days even, we just have to confirm it and then we'll go from there-"

"That's crazy!" Her mother exclaimed.

"It's the only way to protect you-" Another voice broke in.

"I'm not going to stay here locked up while others are dying just because of some silly rumor that's probably not true." It was her father that spoke.

"Mark please-"

"We can't just stay here doing nothing, he's going to come for us no matter what. When he wants something he stops at nothing to -" Her father was interrupted once more by the other. Diane risked opening the door a tiny crack so she could find out who they were speaking with.

It was that crazy Moody auror and another man were talking with her parents at the kitchen table. They had lowered their voices to a whisper so Diane couldn't hear what they were saying. Suddenly her parents drew back with a gasp and stunned looks on their faces.

"The train was what?"

"Our daughter was on that train!"

"Where is Diane now? Is she okay?"

_There was a short pause and then Moody said. _

"Why don't you ask her yourselves?"

Her mother immediately looked at the clock and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"I forgot she'd be home." She whispered.

Diane began slipping away but Moody heard her and continued.

"She's standing in the doorway right now."

All of them except Moody turned and looked at Diane. Diane just stood there, wand limp in her hand and her eyes wide with shock. Her parents jaws dropped.

"Diane!" Her mother shrieked. At first it was with surprise then joy and she came running to her daughter embracing her.

Diane allowed her to hug her but then pushed her away.

"What do you mean we're going to be locked up?" She asked.

Her parents stared at her and Moody chuckled. He turned around and faced her with a rueful smile.

"Been eavesdropping I see?" He chuckled again taking a swig of his flask that he always carried with him.

"Why are we being locked up?" Diane demanded, unfazed by Moody's comments.

"Honey," Her father came and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "You shouldn't eavesdrop your mother and I tell you all the time. You miss half the conversation and then you don't understand."

"Why are we being locked up?" She asked again, her temper flaring.

Once again her parents looked at her and then exchanged meaningful looks. Here it comes, you're too young for this, you won't understand darling.

"I know more then you think." Diane said quietly gripping her wand tightly.

"Honey you're too young I-"

"No! I'm not. I'm sixteen!" Diane exclaimed turning red in the face. She was not going to back down this time.

"Really sweetie, this is not the time to-"

"I KNOW THEY WERE LOOKING FOR ME ON THE TRAIN!"

Her parents and the other man turned pale. Moody grinned saying something about how smart the kid was. Soon the man and Moody took their leave, and her parents sat her down and told her everything she had ever wanted to know.

What she found out made her blood run cold and her body cringe.

It was worse, far more worse, then she had ever imagined.

* * *

_That night Diane sat in her room staring out her bedroom window. It was a beautiful summer evening. The sky was clear and the stars were bright and everything seemed so quiet and just right. Diane sighed and turned away from the window. It was so deceiving. _

Everything was horrible.

She crawled onto her bed hugging her knees to her chest. Her mind spun and she thought she might throw up. But this is what she had wanted, she finally knew what was going on.

It would have been better to remain innocent to the knowledge.

They had told her at last, what had been kept so carefully from the Daily Prophet and the media. It was what parents wouldn't talk about in front of their children and people would smile and say it wasn't true. Only those in the Ministry, preferably the auror department like her parents and those gathering the information had the slightest clue as to what was happening to their wonderful world.

The disappearances had been hushed up and made to look like tragic accidents. Homes had exploded and burned with their families still inside and yet there was no explanation as to why. Aurors had gone to investigate and had never returned, months later their bodies would be discovered, in pieces. The masked, black robed men, were said to be a silly cult called the Death Eaters. But she now knew why they had always been connected in some way to the mysterious deaths that happened more and more frequently. The world was falling apart thanks to one powerful dark wizard and his army of evil.

_He-who-must-not-be-named. _

Diane shivered.

There was a knock at the door. Diane jumped involuntarily.

"Diane honey, can I come in?" It was her mother.

"The door's open." She grumbled.

Her mother came in and Diane scrambled under the sheets looking determinedly out the window and anywhere but at her mother. Her mother gave one of her famous sighs and sat down at the end of her bed.

"Diane look at me."

Reluctantly Diane turned slightly so that their eyes didn't quite meet.

"Your father and I didn't want to tell you, but you insisted on it"

"Mom it has nothing to do with that!" Diane interrupted.

Her mother looked taken aback and slightly surprised. In silence she waited for her daughter to speak.

"I don't want to go into hiding, I want to have a normal summer with my friends. I don't want to have to worry about someone coming up behind me at any moment with a mask and a wand, I want to be a kid and be carefree. I want to have fun!" Her mother stopped her rambling, cutting in.

"Honey we can send you with your Aunt if you want, or maybe one of the others, perhaps that boy Sirius-"

"NO! I mean, Mom, I don't want to leave."

"But you just said that you-"

"I don't want to leave you if I might come home too..." Diane's face went pale and suddenly she began to cry.

"Oh honey." Her mother drew her into her arms. Diane cried and cried until she could cry no more. She was so angry, so sad at what was happening.

Diane didn't remember falling asleep or seeing her mother leave for that matter. She cried herself to sleep in her mother's arms.

* * *

_**"Diane, ** _

**WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET HERE?**

**Sirius"**

**"DIANE **

**WHERE ARE YOU!**

**Sirius**

**P.S. Why haven't you been writing to us? Are you trying to ignore us?**

**P.P.S. Lily and Mary think you're mad at them and won't leave me alone. Hurry up and tell them you're alive and that I did NOT kill you...yet. **

**P.P.P.S. James and Lily haven't killed each other...yet. Just thought you might want to know.**

**P.P.P.P.S. Write back and hurry up I'm bored.**

**P.P.P.P.P.S That's alot of "p's". **

**P.S.S.S.S.S.S. Why don't they use "s's" instead? **

**P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. I just wanted to see how that would look."**

_Diane rolled her eyes and couldn't help but laugh. She had of course received mail from several of her friends, including Sirius over the past month. A lot of it though had not been allowed to come in. Contact with the outside world had practically been cut off. And Diane had found herself stuck inside of the Lions Manor grounds with absolutely nothing to do. She had even finished all of her homework, which was a real shocker since usually she waited until August 31st. Diane was bored. _

But now, she was going to go stay with the Blacks! Every summer her family went to stay with them. This summer it would be different. Only Diane was going to go, and she would have to stay with the Blacks for the remainder of the summer. At first she had hesitated, of course she wanted to see her friends, especially Sirius (she had actually missed the rascal) , but she would have to leave her parents and wouldn't get to see them until Christmas. In the end her parents, feeling it was safer for her, had forced her into going.

"Are you all packed and ready?"

Diane turned around and found her parents standing in the doorway. She glanced down at her trunk packed with her schoolbooks, robes, and clothes and patted her pocket where her wand lay.

"Yeah I think I'm ready." She whispered taking a last look around the room.

_"Then I guess you're leaving us." Her mother said in a trembling voice. She was obviously close to tears. _

"Good, good." Her father muttered distractedly, he had been extremely jumpy lately. It was probably one of the effects of having to stay within a house for so long.

"Come on, let's get you to the Black's house. You'll be going by the Floo network." He made a gesture for her to follow him and then walked from the room.

"So this is goodbye." Diane whispered.

Her mother nodded solemnly. Diane looked away to hide the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes but eventually her eyes strayed back to her mother's tear streaked face.

"Oh H-Ho-oney." Her mother wailed.

Diane threw herself into her mother's arms choking back the sobs that were threatening to come. She could hardly breathe as she realized that this could be the very last time she saw her mother. Tears blurred her vision as she held onto her with all her might. Her mother showered her head with kisses, weeping loudly at the thought of her daughter having to leave her for so long.

There was a large possibility that they wouldn't see each other again. Her mother knew even more then Diane did about their situation.

"Be brave Diane, we'll see each other at Christmas! And you have to write lots to me. Everything's going to be over before we know it!" Her mother was lying, it was obvious but Diane broke free from her embrace and put a courageous smile on her face. She had to be brave for her mother.

"Now come on, let's go see your father." Her mother turned to go, but Diane hesitated. An uneasy feeling ran up her spine. This was going to be the last time she was ever going to be here. Her parents had mentioned something about moving in a few weeks to somewhere far away.

"Mom?"

"Yes."

"Can I just go look around one last time?"

Her mother smiled weakly.

"Sure Honey, take as long as you want. I'll tell your Dad to wait." And then she left the room.

Diane smiled watching her go. Then she opened her bedroom window, climbed out onto the roof and started carefully making her way to the ground. When her feet touched the solid earth she couldn't help but grin. It was a fantastic day, clear skies, warm weather and bright sunshine. The grounds looked amazing. It was so sad that she would have to be leaving it so soon. With a sigh, and a slight smile, she took off running across the grass.

When at last she could run no more she found herself at the small pond. It was her favorite spot, the spot where she and Sirius had played as kids. It was the spot that she went to for comfort and quiet, whether she was happy or sad. Diane picked up a stone and tossed it into the water watching the ripples spread, growing wider and wider. Then she flopped down onto the grass staring up at the patch of sky in between the trees. She was content just to be there, remembering the happy memories she had had with her family and friends there.

All of her problems had been left behind when she climbed out the bedroom window. She was completely unaware, completely oblivious and ignorant to what was happening only a few hundred yards away in the house that she had left behind.

* * *

_He gripped the wand tightly in his hand. He was lost in thought, his body braced, his wand ready and his eyes staring out the glass door. That terrible feeling of fear filled him once more, creeping up his spine, causing him to shiver within. The fear had been with him for as long as he could remember. The moment he had heard about the first disappearance and the man behind the murder, it had begun with a simple skip of a heart beat. And now, his family was endangered and the feeling had just continued to grow consuming him. Could it just be his imagination or did it seem to get stronger every day? Or was it the fact that they were locked up in the house waiting for something to happen that was causing it to get worse? _

Suddenly he leapt up, a scream escaping his parched throat. A figure was racing past the window, moving so fast at a run that it was a mere blur. Upon second look he saw that it was head full of blonde curls and the body of a young sixteen year old girl racing past the glass door and up the hill. It was only his daughter, nothing more. He dropped his head into his hands as once more he was aware of the guilt, sadness, and dread. Why did they have to go after his family? Why hadn't he sent his wife away as well? They shouldn't have to suffer. No one should have to go through this. Why couldn't they just get rid of the wretched man in the first place?

"Mark?" A hand touched his shoulder and he jumped, startled out of his thoughts.

"Oh Karen, it's only you." He murmured catching his breath and his pounding heart.

They faced each other not really knowing what to say. They had tried to pretend like it wasn't happening but now more then ever they were aware of his presence.

"I'm scared." He whispered, voicing his feelings for the first time in months.

"I am too." His wife smiled weakly up at him wrapping her arms comfortingly around him. He held her close to him touching his lips to the top of her head.

"You have to go with her." He said softly.

She shook her head, her arms tightening around him.

"I'm not leaving you." She said stubbornly moving closer to him. He sighed, knowing he couldn't fight with her. Besides he needed her.

"Is Diane ready?" He asked.

"Yes, she'll be back in a bit. She just needed some time to say goodbye." Karen replied in a slightly muffled voice.

"I'm going to miss her." He said quietly. Karen replied with a soft sniffling noise and he knew she was crying. He stroked her hair staring off into space wondering what would become of them.

**CRASH!**

_Karen and Mark sprung apart at the sound. Their faces were suddenly pale, their hearts thudding in their chests and their breath was coming short gasps. _

"What the hell was that?" Mark exclaimed, picking his wand up from the table.

"I, I, I don't know." Karen was having difficulty steadying her trembling voice. With shaking hands she managed to remove her wand from her pocket.

There was the sound of footsteps from somewhere in the house. Karen had grabbed her husband and had his arm in a death grip. Mark had his wand out and his free arm wrapped protectively around her. There was the sound of voices, the harsh voices of men.

_"It's them." Mark said swearing under his breath. _

There was a creaking noise and they realized that they had found the stairs. Softly Mark muttered a spell, that set up an invisible barrier at the bottom of the stairs and the voices ceased.

"How much time do we have?" Karen asked.

"A few minutes if we're lucky." Mark answered. They split up, Karen running for the broom closet and Mark heading in the opposite direction.

Mark ran to the parlor, emptying the jar on the mantle. He took out the crumpled up piece of paper that had been given to him two months before when they had closed up the house and the barriers. Hastily he unfolded and then tossed it into the fireplace. The flames came to life, shimmering purple blue and green then they died away. He had sent out the message to the Ministry and Aurors. Now all he could do was hope. Mark raced back into the kitchen and collided with his wife.

"Diane!" She gasped.

"She's at the Bl-" His eyes widened as he realized the horror of the situation. If only he had sent her away a few moments before, she could have been saved. It was all his fault.

"We need to get her! Do we have time to get her out of here?" Karen asked desperately.

**BANG!**

_Karen fell into his arms as the whole house shook. Mark steadied them against the kitchen table, his eyes and face was filled with terror. _

"There's no time!" He gasped as he sealed the door shut with charm. The footsteps were nearing the door, their voices growing stronger.

"Goodbye Mark!" Karen cried giving him a last kiss.

Mark savored the kiss and took one last glance at his wife. He sent up a silent prayer that Diane would be okay. Then the door swung open. The first Death Eater fell without a fight, same with the second. It was the final one that pinned Mark against the kitchen table with a strong blast. And then there were those red eyes and that snake like face. Mark knew as everything flashed green that the last thing he would see would be the face of his murderer, the Dark Lord.

Karen screamed, staring at her husband's lifeless body. Her wand clattered to the floor as she rushed at his murderer in an act of rage. But in mid-flight the spell hit her and she slumped against the glass door. Her face would be forever frozen with pain and grief.

* * *

_Diane's eyes flew open. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and her breath was coming in short gasps. Small beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. She shuddered as a violent shiver went up her spine. _

What was wrong with her? She had just closed her eyes for a moment and then all of sudden she had this horrible vision.

The vision!

Diane sat up drawing in a sharp breath. It was just a nightmare, right? She had just fallen asleep for a second, nothing big. Even so she got to her feet and starting running back to the house as fast as her lungs would allow her.

It wasn't real, just relax, she told herself. When you get back to the house Mom and Dad will be there waiting for you.

But they weren't.

* * *

"Where's the girl?" He demanded.

"Master, I thought you took care of them?" His lowly servant asked.

"I said I would and I did! Now where's the girl?" He hissed.

"You mean their daughter?" The Death Eater asked.

"Did you find her?"

The two Death Eaters before him shifted from one foot to the other, glancing at each other uneasily.

"Well?"

"She's not in the house-"

"I told you to get rid of her, that's twice now you've failed me!"

"But wait, we found this note in the kitchen."

The Master took it from them and examined it. Then suddenly his eyes narrowed to thin slits and his mouth turned into a frown.

"THEY'RE COMING!" A voice shouted from somewhere within the house.

"We'll deal with this later." He murmured to his Death Eaters. They bowed and then disappeared with a POP.

"No one escapes me." He whispered.

* * *

_The doors were locked. Diane circled the house until she reached her bedroom window. Then she climbed up and into her bedroom. _

"Hello I'm Back!" She ran down the hallway checking all the room as she went. They must be downstairs, she assured herself.

"Mom? Dad?" Taking the steps two at a time Diane hurried into the parlor, only to find that no one was there.

The fireplace though, was it her imagination or was it glowing an unusual shade of blue and green. It had to be her imagination, it just had to be! All the other rooms that she checked were empty. No one was answering her calls.

"MOM! DAD!"

The kitchen door was looming before her. She threw herself at it and it swung open.

The door slammed shut behind her. Diane did not move. Her blue grey eyes had widened with horror and shock at the scene before her. A scream burst from her lips.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

She fell to her knees beside her father's lifeless body. His eyes, the very same eyes that she had, were unmoving and reflected her own image. Gingerly Diane lifted his head into her lap, only to find that a trail of blood followed streaking her robes and the kitchen floor.

"Dad wake up!" She whispered, shaking him.

But of course nothing happened. He was dead. Diane screamed again, shaking him more violently. It wasn't fair! She hadn't even said good bye! Why did this have to happen to her! Why now? Why did he have to die!

She leaned down and kissed his forehead and then carefully moved away from him. Perhaps her mother had escaped, she had to find her.

Getting to her feet, she moved around the table, only to be met with another horror scene straight out of her nightmare.

_Karen was slumped against the screen door, her eyes locked on where her husband lay. _

"MOM!"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed to her mother's side. Gently she squeezed her shoulder, having some sort of vain hope that her mother would merely be in shock and would turn and look at her. But the eyes never moved. Diane touched the blonde curls that framed her mother's face, turning her head so that she faced her daughter. The hazel eyes remained permanently in place filled with a mixture of pain, grief and rage. Diane's worst fears were confirmed.

"No. No, you both can't be dead. No, you can't leave me. No. No. No! No! NO!" She gasped choking on a sob. The tears began to flow freely as she buried her face into her mother's lifeless chest.

They were her parents, her family, and now they were dead. She would never hear her mother's laughter, never talk to them, never get picked up by her father and never would she see them again alive. They were dead.

Diane couldn't breathe, the grief and pain was suffocating her. She kissed her mother's cheek embracing her for the last time. Then she picked herself up off the floor, whispered a last good bye and then ran back to the bed room. Climbing out the window, Diane ran, as if trying to erase the harsh images and truth from her mind. She would never see them again. Never, it was such a horrible word. She took refuge beside the pond, throwing herself face down on the ground. Well she was never going to move unless she woke from this nightmare.

* * *

_Far away someone was calling her voice. Diane moved onto her side, not daring to open her eyes. The sun poked through the trees warming her skin and the mud beneath her, making her aware of the fact that this was no nightmare or dream but the present. This was reality. Everything that had happened in that house could never be erased. _

Suddenly she felt the touch of a quivering hand push the curls out of her face. Their breath drew close, as the hand gripped her shoulder. Gently they began to shake her.

"Diane. Diane. Come on Diane open your eyes." It seemed so far away and distant. But even though miles seemed to separate them Diane was able to recognize the voice. They shook her more violently but Diane refused to open her eyes. Opening her eyes would mean facing reality and her parent's brutal murders.

"Wake up! Open your eyes Diane!" She now identified the voice. It was Sirius who was now by her side.

"Enervate." His voice was thick with sadness.

Slowly she came to herself, knowing that she could not remain in the land of dreams forever. Her eyes fluttered open as she saw him for the first time. His dark hair was hiding his face and he was hunched over, perhaps hiding, was that tears she saw?

"NO! YOU CAN'T Be Dead! NO DIANE!" He shouted as she hastily sat up. Suddenly he lunged toward her, stopping when their eyes met.

"Sirius." She said in a hoarse whisper.

"Diane, you're okay." Relief poured into his grief ridden face and he pulled her into a strong embrace. She clung to him wrapping her arms around him.

"I thought I had lost you." He whispered.

"For a moment I thought I had lost myself and you too." She said in between her tears.

Sirius kissed her forehead and then drew her back into his arms. Diane thanked god that she had someone to hold onto.

"I really thought you were dead."

"I'm here." She whispered in his ear.

"I'm glad for it. You mean a lot to me." Sirius whispered back.

"But they're not." Diane said quietly.

"I'm sorry." He told her.

And then as the clouds rolled overhead Diane began to sob helplessly into his chest. Sirius held her in his arms, comforting her and stroking her blond hair softly.

Perhaps it had been her imagination, but she remembered clearly that he leaned closer to her ear, his lips nearly touching her flesh and his breath warm upon her skin. Four words that she had never heard from anyone other then her parents fell from his lips.

"I love you Diane."

* * *

Her eyes were watery and her vision was blurred and distorted. Real tears slid down her cheeks, shining in the fading light from the common room down below. She sat there on the step crying, choking on the thick lump in her throat. She was still, frozen, unmoving, and immobile. Staring at the opposite wall her mind churned with brief flashes of the memory of that fatal day. It was something she had promised herself she would never relive, but the past always catches up to you. And now here she was in tears remembering how terrifying and horrible that day had been. Reliving it the second time was almost as awful as the first.

Lily and Mary came down the stairs wondering where the noise was coming from.

"Stay with her. I'll be right back." Then Lily left brushing past Diane on her way down to the Common Room.

Bewildered Mary sat down beside Diane, snaking an arm around her friend's shoulders. She did her best to comfort her grief stricken friend, but she didn't have a clue as to why she might be crying. Diane kept staring at the opposite wall in tears. She was barely aware of Mary sitting beside her, and made no response or even glanced her way. She was still trapped in the fatal memory, reliving their deaths over and over again.

Lily came back with someone else. Mary got to her feet and stepped aside making room for him. A shadow crossed over her path and strong arms suddenly wrapped around her. He took her arms and gently placed them around his neck. Then she was being lifted from the floor, carried from the staircase in the safety of his arms. She buried her face into his chest, breathing in the familiar scent. He had come to her rescue once again.

Sirius brought her into the vacant common room and sat down in one of the arm chairs near the fire. He gathered her into his lap and arms, drawing her closer to his chest. He stroked her hair softly whispering comforting words, bending down to kiss her head every so often. Diane clung to him knowing that he would help her. He was her rock, her refuge, the one person she could count on, the one person she loved with all her heart.

Together, they could overcome the dark ghosts of her past.

"What's wrong with Diane?" Mary asked softly.

Lily shrugged, though she had a vague idea of what might be wrong. She lost her parents, and then she and James had been on the staircase talking and perhaps it had just brought back painful memories.

Mary yawned.

"I have to go finish that stupid Charms Essay before I fall asleep."

Lily snorted.

"You had all week to do that essay."

"I know, I know, I know, please don't give me another lecture." Mary muttered rolling her eyes.

"You're such a procrastinator." Lily said to her friend.

"I'm not a procrastinator, I just like to _postpone _things." Mary said climbing the steps and disappearing into the Girl's Dormitory. Lily laughed.

She sat down on the steps in the very same place where Diane had been sitting only minutes before in tears. Sighing she dropped her head into her hands. First it was the Hogwarts Express attack, then it was Diane's parents and now James parents were on the list as well. What was going to be next?

"Lily?"

"James." She turned and found him coming up the steps. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down beside her.

"Is Diane alright?" He asked drawing her into his arms.

"Not quite, but I think she will be." Lily replied resting her head wearily on his chest. She closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic sound of his heart as his chest rose and fell. James toyed with a strand of her hair, his thoughts suddenly coming to a halt.

"Lily, I think she might have overheard us."

Lily sighed.

"I think you're right." She said in agreement.

James swore softly.

"She won't tell anyone." Lily patted his arm reassuringly.

"I know, it's just that she was reminded of her parent's deaths because of what I said. It's my fault that she's crying." Lily stopped him in mid sentence.

"James, first of all she was the one who was eavesdropping, second of all everyone has to relive the past. It's not something you can forget, it will always be a part of you."

James nodded slowly as these words sunk into his head. Lily reached for his cheek, gently turning his face toward hers.

"You should know that of all people." She said stroking his cheek with a secret smile.

James returned the smile with amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Yeah thanks to you."

Lily punched him lightly and they grinned.

"Goodnight James." She kissed him on the cheek before getting to her feet.

James stood up with her, taking her by the shoulders and pressing his lips against hers. Lily melted into his embrace, feeling her heart speed up. James suddenly pulled away, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as if to say "Now that was a goodnight kiss".

"Goodnight Lily." He whispered.

They held hands until the stairway split, then they let go, and headed for their separate dormitories.

Both of them were blissfully unaware of a whispered fateful argument that was taking place outside of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Over my dead body!" The girl hissed, shoving the boy out of her way.

The response to this comment was a chuckle from the chubby teen, and a blow that resulted in a muffled shriek, a crash and a whimper as he crumpled to the floor. A moment later the portrait opened and a familiar chestnut haired Gryffindor stormed into the common room, and raced up the steps, nearly steamrolling poor love struck Lily.

The book Lily had retrieved from the steps went flying, and papers flew everywhere as the two girls collided.

"Oh!" Lily's dazed expression dissolved and her dreamy eyes came back into focus. She hastily apologized to Jenn, scrambling to pick up the papers.

"I'm sorry!" Jenn gasped. "I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry." And then to Lily's surprise the girl's voice cracked and her bottom lip trembled.

"Jenn, it's okay, honestly, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going…" Lily blushed a little remembering what had distracted her. Immediately she snapped back to attention hearing Jenn's sobs.

"No I'm sorry, it's all my fault!" Jenn wailed, leaning against the wall.

"Jenn you only bumped into me, it was only an accident." Lily said, looking a little scared. She tried to approach her but Jenn suddenly flung her arm up and pushed Lily away.

"Jenn! What's wrong?" Lily asked, first Diane and now Jenn?

"Leave me alone!" The girl begged. Lily gathered up the papers but refused to leave. She knelt down beside Jenn, and helped her to her feet. Jenn, once again exhausted, went willingly with her, but upon reaching the Gryffindor Girl's Dormitory started to protest and struggle weakly.

"I said leave me – don't touch me I'm danger – he said he's going too make – leave me." Lily couldn't make any sense of the muffled incoherent mumblings, but as soon as she helped the girl to her bed, she lay down and instantly fell asleep.

"Is she alright?"

Lily turned and came face to face with Mary and Taylor, both of whom looked worried and confused. She bit her lip, pondering the same question herself. She'd been perfectly fine…

"I think she's okay, she's only…"

But it was as if Jenn had suddenly…

"…cracked."

The word repeated over and over again in her mind. Slowly Lily's lips reformed the word as she changed and climbed into bed.

"Cracked." She whispered, staring up at the ceiling with a frown. What was it that Jenn had said, just before she'd collapsed into a deep slumber? Lily fought to recall and make sense of the disjointed ranting.

Mary and Taylor exchanged a look, and then looked at Lily with raised eyebrows.

"Did I miss something?" Mary asked completely and utterly bewildered.

"Cracked." Lily repeated softly as she drifted off to sleep.

"I think she's the one that's cracked." Taylor whispered eyeing the red head as if she were crazy.

Mary on the other hand looked to Jenn, a slow frown forming on her face that had nothing to do with the fact that she still had another roll of parchment left to fill on the Charms Essay due tomorrow. A cold shiver ran down her spine as Lily's words suddenly made sense.

Had Jenn cracked?

* * *

**A/N: Was it boring? I dug up the files and started separating the future chapters. There are about 5 or 6 left that I have written, it's still incomplete though and they're all pretty long. I think I'll have it finished before HBP comes out, unless of course I get abducted by Death Eaters again A.K.A. teachers. I'm already working on my next story and I'll have an R/Hr and an H/Hr out very soon. **

**Amelia Bedelia: **Yeah, I've been neglecting fanfiction for a while and then I got bored and opened up the files and now I'm caught up again. The trailer was awesome, I can't wait to see GoF! Yes you are a horrible updater, you make us poor readers suffer. But the chapters are always worth the wait. Thanks for reviewing and I can't wait to read the new L/J story!

**LMDGlUVR4EVA: **It's a great idea, now I know why they do it on television shows! Don't say that about me, I'm just a lazy HP obsessed day dreamer. Check out Amelia Bedelia's story and there's a whole bunch of other amazing L/J fanfics that I am slowly threading my way through.

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **I did, I updated again! And it's less than a week again. I am on a roll! Thanks for reviewing!

**HarryluvsMoaningMyrtle: **Thanks I'm glad you liked it, just something I cooked up, over a year ago. And I updated again! Thanks for reviewing!

**wudnulike2know: **Yes Lily's dream was really happening, I'm just not sure if it was actually her dream or not. (I realized afterward that I put the page break in a line early) I think we'll just say that it was her dream but she woke up and didn't remember anything. Thanks, I made up my pen name a loooonnnggg time ago, so it'll have to do.

**Alandra Jade Hart: **Thanks Andri, I'm glad you like it! I'll try to post another chapter real quick!

**Sweet Sarcasm: **I agree wholeheartedly with you, I am counting down the days until I break free from this prison. 18 days! I can't wait! Thanks for reviewing again!

**Ghausia: **Thanks, I'm glad you appreciate my twisted sense of humor. No one can say I didn't try. Thanks for the review!

**highlandhottie: **Weirdly enough, some of the parts still crack me up… Aw, you feel bad for Lily. Don't worry Lily gets her revenge and everything works out…eventually. Thanks for the review!

**evil-pillow**: Warm and fuzzy, yeah I know it's all that addicting fluff. These bunnies just pop into my head and I am forced to post them here on Thanks, your review makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, god, I am addicted to reviews, they're better than hot chocolate. Thanks for reviewing!

**Thetornprincess: **Really? Whoa, that is weird! I've had some moments like that before. It's a good song! Thanks for reviewing, I look forward to hearing what you think of the rest of the story!

**Truffletruffle01**: Yeah Diane lost both her parents, and James is now looking at the same scenario that Diane just went through a little over a year ago. Thanks for reviewing and I'm sorry I didn't update quick this time!

**Animerocksjapanrocks**: Sorry, I meant to update I really did, but I had too much to do. Thanks for reviewing!

**TajM: **I love the word _enthralled_! Sorry, couldn't help myself. I seriously considered making James break Lily's heart, but then my readers were on the verge of murdering me so I decided it might be good if I just got Lily and James together. I love the Mediator series too! Meg Cabot is a great author. I know there's not enough L/J action, that's why this chapter took so long. I was trying to make it less OCish but I'll have to add something to the next few chapters. Thanks for reviewing, I appreciate the time you took!

**Granger-gurl-rox**: I wouldn't mind having a Marauder as a boyfriend either. Imagine the benefits! The last line's probably corny, but hey I still like it. Thanks for reviewing!

**Hpluva 4:** Thanks for reviewing and I'm thinking of going back to _proof read_ the earlier chapters but at the time I posted this I didn't think that it was going to receive much feedback and it was written purely for fun.

**MaD-4-U: **Thanks for reviewing!

**Lilchocolatechip011: **Thanks Arielle, I'm glad you rediscovered the story and still like it! I'm trying to make it more lively and funny but this chapter's pretty depressing as well unfortunately. Don't worry I'm making improvements and I plan on rewriting the next couple of chapters. Thanks for reviewing!

**Chrissy8887779999**: Yeah I don't know why but suddenly I had an obsession with sheep. Let me explain, they're in their seventh year but Diane's having flashbacks of events that happened during their fifth year and sixth year and there's Death Eaters and stuff. If you have more questions ask! Thanks for reviewing!


	31. Trust Me

**Cursed**

**By Hazelmist**

**Summary: _Diane recalls the troubling summer and the tragic day when her parents were murdered by Death Eaters. Sirius comes to her rescue once again, and together they are able to overcome the ghosts of the past. Lily and James realize that Diane overheard them. A very upset Jenn bumps into Lily and starts sobbing uncontrollably. Taylor wonders if Lily's lost her marbles, while Mary and Lily seriously worry about the source of Jenn's outburst. Has she cracked? _**

**Chapter 31: Trust Me**

It was a regular, boring day, in Potions class. Professor Tomorrow stormed up and down the rows snapping at various students as she went. Sirius and Snape had already blasted each other across the room, knocking over Lily and James' cauldron. Then they had lost 50 points a piece, revealing that the Professor didn't favor any of the houses and just hated all students in general. When the professor decided to take away their wands Snape had said something and Sirius had punched him in the face. Another 20 points was taken, and wards were set up so that Sirius couldn't be anywhere near Snape and vice versa. Not only did they have to start their potion all over again, but Lily and James did as well.

"It wasn't even our fault this time." James groaned, not wanting to do the entire thing all over again.

Lately the Professor had been giving them a wide berth, as if they were something dangerous. The change that had come over Lily and James was so great, that the Slytherins were constantly staring at them, wondering if perhaps James had seduced Lily or Lily had brainwashed James. More then once Lily had overheard a Slytherin or two making up some ridiculous story about an Imperius curse.

"I wish they would just stop staring." Lily whispered to him as they gathered up their ingredients.

"We should give them something to stare at then." James whispered in her ear, his mischievous eyes shining.

"What do you have in mind?" Lily asked, grinning.

"Oh, you know..." He trailed off meaningfully, his hand sliding closer to hers. It stopped there resting on top of Lily's hand. Slowly he inched closer to her. Lily's eyes widened in panic.

"Here in front of Professor Tomorrow and all the Slytherins, you want us to..." She hissed, her cheeks flushing.

"Have a little faith, Lily. Just work with me." James whispered back, watching the Slytherins to make sure that they had their full attention.

"Trust me?" He gave her a pleading look that she simply couldn't refuse.

Lily stepped closer to him, sending him a look that clearly said "If you embarrass me you're dead." Then she gave him a flirtatious smile and blushed. James reached over to get something on the other side of Lily and let his arm rest around her shoulders. Lily giggled, feeling ridiculous, but she loved watching the faces of the Slytherins. Every pair of eyes was locked on them, including the Professor's, who accidentally awarded rather then take away, ten points to Jenn who's cauldron was bubbling over.

Lily was starting to enjoy this. She knocked over her book deliberately.

"Oops, my book fell on the ground!" She gasped looking up at James. James did nothing because he was trying hard not to laugh.

She started to bend down to get the book, and James just as she had hoped, did the same. Their heads banged together, a little less lightly then they had hoped.

"Ow." Lily silently mouthed, rubbing her head. She was glad that no one could see this other then James who laughed silently.

They both stood up holding the book. Lily stumbled, feeling like an idiot, and James "caught" her. Blushing they realized how closely they were standing together and "accidentally", their faces bumped, their lips brushing for an instant.

The Professor dropped the Potions she was carrying, causing Lily and James to jump. They shattered when they reached the ground and the book that Lily and James had been carrying fell to their feet. James quickly picked it up again, offering it to Lily shyly.

"GET BACK TO WORK!" The Professor growled.

Lily and James pretended to be embarrassed. But secretly they were both sneaking looks over at the Slytherins who looked mortified and disgusted by the sight of them. Lily snickered, knowing that the image of Narcissa would forever remain imprinted in her mind. Her jaw had dropped, her eyes were wide and she had been pouring beetles eyes into her cauldron for the past fifteen minutes, turning the potion a purple color and causing it to bubble and overflow onto the floor.

"MS. ROOKWOOD! YOUR CAULDRON!" The Professor exclaimed.

But the Professor's warning arrived too late.

The potion exploded covering Narcissa and two Slytherins behind her. For once Peter had had nothing to do with it, and he looked extremely pleased with himself.

Lily muffled a laugh at the sight of the shocked Narcissa. She had always suspected that the Slytherin had a crush on James.

"MY HAIR!"

Narcissa shrieked, coming out of her trance at the sight of her precious locks. Her "precious" blond hair was now a brilliant shade of magenta and sticky. It was as if someone had dumped a jar of grape jelly on her. A Slytherin girl screamed and pointed out to Narcissa that oozing purple hives were spreading rapidly across her skin like the Bubonic Plague. The icing on the cake was a giant, hairy spike, the effect of the unicorn horns, growing out of the middle of her forehead. The best part was Lily, James or any of the Marauders were not responsible for it. In fact it had been Narcissa's fault entirely.

"Oh my gawd she has a uni brow!" A Slytherin girl gasped in horror. The Gryffindors started cracking up. The Professor gave them a sharp glare and pulled out of a stack of detentions, the noise was quickly muffled.

"Mr. Potter, walk these three down to the hospital wing." Professor Tomorrow ordered, seeing her chance to separate the two.

Lily didn't mind though. It had been well worth it. Remus was staring open mouthed at Narcissa and then at Lily and James. Sirius was bowing down to them. Mary was gasping for breath and clutching her sides, Jenn was giggling wildly, and Taylor and Diane were bent over their cauldron practically bawling because they were laughing so hard. A grin formed on her face as she caught Diane's eye. Then suddenly she dissolved into laughter.

* * *

"The Gryffindor Queen, your escort awaits you!" Sirius said, giving her another mock bow. Lily couldn't help but smirk as the Slytherin girls glared at her as they walked past.

"I think we should begin Act II of the Lily and James Potter story in Divination." Diane quipped.

"Hopefully her co-star doesn't get killed off on the way to the Hospital Wing by a ravaging pack of Slytherins." Mary said with a laugh.

Lily had dropped behind though, shuffling through her book bag.

"What are you looking for, the script?" Remus asked.

Lily shook her head then suddenly slapped her forehead and groaned.

"My Divination charts are upstairs on my bed!"

"Hey no big deal, you can make them up on the way there. Here I'll help you. You will be attacked by a raving purple uni browed mutated monster in exactly one hour. Then you will marry James Potter, have a kid named Harry and live happily ever after." Sirius predicted.

"Why Harry?" Lily asked, stopping in her tracks.

"So you are going to marry him." Sirius and Remus started cat calling and Lily turned a brilliant shade of red.

"No, I never said that." But of course they wouldn't shut up. The girls joined in as well and they started singing their favorite song.

"Lily and James sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes-"

"I'll catch up with you later!" Lily rolled her eyes and then dashed out of the hallway leaving her friends to their ridiculous and childish song.

She sprinted all the way to the Gryffindor Tower, hoping that she had enough time. She was out of breath by the time she reached the portrait and she just barely made it up the steps.

"Now where is my stupid-"

"Looking for this?" A voice asked.

Lily glanced up and shrieked, jumping a foot in the air. Jenn was leaning against the door, with her Divination charts in her hands.

"God Jenn, you scared the living daylights out of me! What are you trying to do, send me into cardiac arrest?" Lily clutched her chest and stumbled back a step, sitting down on Diane's bed.

Why did everyone have to creep up on her? Or maybe everyone was just acting normally, she was just getting startled more easily. Whatever it was, if it kept up Lily would have a heart attack before she reached 18.

"Uh, sorry about that." Jenn said, stepping over to her and holding out the homework.

Lily reached up to get it, but Jenn suddenly moved out of her reach.

"Give me it!" Lily snapped.

But Jenn jumped up onto Mary's bed, lifting the charts high above her head.

"I need to talk to you first." Jenn said holding Lily's homework protectively.

"Will you give me my homework then?"

"Yes."

"Then talk! We have Divination in" She looked at her watch, "exactly four minutes."

"Three." Jenn corrected with a grin.

Lily glanced at her watch and saw that Jenn was right.

"Hurry up then!" She exclaimed. Jenn looked slightly amused as she took her time getting off of Mary's bed and sitting down on her own. As soon as Lily started tapping her foot though, Jenn's face transformed and she suddenly became serious.

"I bumped into you last night and a bunch of papers fell out of your book and well…"

"Well what?" Lily's eyes were back on her watch. Two minutes and forty seconds until class. Her eyes drifted back to Jenn, who was pulling a folded up piece of notebook paper from her pocket. Slowly she began unfolding it and Lily's eyes widened.

"I know what you've been researching."

It was the paper that contained all of her notes about Jenn's "Situation". Jenn must have picked it up, when they bumped into each other and Lily dropped all the papers in her book. Lily could only stare at her in silence.

What else could she do?

"Jenn, did you happen to read the paper." She asked nervously.

"Lily I'm a Gryffindor, what do you think?"

Lily's worst fears were confirmed as Jenn picked out a spot in the middle of the page and began to read aloud.

"There is also the possibility that she might not have been under the Imperius Curse, since after all she was distraught after being dumped abruptly by James, was very obsessive about him, and found him sitting with me. Must have caused confusion and when emotions are out of control, people can do crazy things. She may have done this all willingly. After all she never liked me, and she has been known to be obsessed with James all her life and guys in general. Can't help but notice that she takes break ups harder then most people. Of course it is only a possibility."

Lily peered at Jenn from between her fingers. Jenn was folding the paper back up. Then she threw it at Lily, it rocketed off the wall and fell at her feet. Lily winced though it hadn't been anywhere near her, it was the injured look that Jenn was giving her, that hurt.

"Lily, I know we were never on good terms before this, and I know I can get a little, well Taylor can tell you, just ask her. But let's get one thing straight." Jenn was now on her feet and walking toward her. She stopped right in front of her and looked down at her crumpled form.

"I would never kill anyone or join Voldemort." Her voice trembled with emotion as she turned on heel and walked toward the door.

She stopped though at the door and turned to her.

"You know, Diane isn't the only one whose parents were murdered by him." She whispered. The door slammed shut.

Lily rolled off the bed. Her fingers reached for the note and then in an act of anger she hurled it out the window. She watched with satisfaction as it disappeared from view. Then she slid down onto the floor, wiping at her eyes.

She felt terrible. With every second she seemed to grow smaller and smaller. How embarrassing, she felt so ashamed. How could she be so dumb to actually think that it was Jenn who would do those things?

Lily suddenly stumbled upon Jenn's last words.

_"You know, Diane isn't the only one whose parents were murdered."_

Suddenly voices from another time and place echoed through her mind.

_"Ugh, Potter's coming." A fourteen year old Lily groaned as they started walking toward Hogsmeade. _

"Well at least his fan club hasn't shown up yet" Mary said brightening.

"Give them a few minutes; I'm sure the two bimbos will be paying us a visit at any moment. They'll probably have a list of a thousand reasons why I should not hate James Potter." Lily laughed bitterly at the thought of Jenn and Taylor pestering her about why she hated James so much and telling her how great he was.

"I don't think they'll be showing." Diane said shoving her hands into her pockets. She had been unusually silent.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked.

"Jenn's upstairs bawling her eyes out." Diane said looking suddenly puzzled.

"What's wrong with her?" Mary asked.

Diane shrugged.

"I don't know, Taylor told me to get lost and Jenn was just sitting there crying." Once again Diane's face clouded and then she shook her head.

"I wonder what happened." Mary said softly.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Lily said grinning. "She probably just broke a nail, or broke up with Fabio."

The three girls snickered.

Lily clapped a hand over her mouth as she pieced the information together. It had been there all this time, and she had never noticed.

"Oh dear." Lily whispered guiltily.

Hurriedly Lily gathered her books and homework together and rushed out of the dormitory. Maybe if she hurried she could still catch -

"Jenn!"

The girl turned around and faced Lily with a scowl.

"What do you want?" She snarled.

"I'm sorry about your parents, I never knew, I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to hear it." Jenn growled starting to walk away, but the look on her face had softened. Lily struggled to keep up with her.

"Listen Jenn, I know this isn't the best time...but I want you to help us."

Jenn actually stopped in her tracks and turned around to face her.

"When have you ever needed my help? To my knowledge you were getting along just fine without my help." Jenn scoffed, but her eyes were now a little brighter.

"Jenn I know this may sound odd, but we need to know who did this to you. If we don't find out who it is then…" Lily trailed off, not wanting to think of who might be the next victim.

"I know." Jenn sighed, cutting her off. She nodded and then looked Lily straight in the eye.

"I have the strangest feeling that we're all in danger Lily, not just you, not just me, and not just the Gryffindors, but everyone. This, is only the beginning, it's going to get worse Lily, much worse." Jenn's voice faded away, and she seemed to suddenly come to herself.

"So you'll help us?" Lily whispered finally regaining her voice. Jenn's words were resounding in her head, as much as she tried to push them to the back of her mind.

"Yes, I'm surprised you didn't ask sooner since I am after all the one who's under this damn thing." Jenn looked angry with herself.

"So you are under a curse?" Lily asked.

Jenn gave her a meaningful look that clearly said it was the truth.

"I feel so terrible, I won't be very much help to you, but there is one thing that I think might work that none of you have even thought of yet."

"What?" Lily asked, intrigued.

"I can't actually tell you, and don't even think of trying to get it out of me, I've already tried removing it. I haven't exactly been idle you know. But none of my attempts worked, but I know if you did this then maybe, but I need your help because you could-" Jenn stopped rambling and coughed.

"You should really get that checked you know." Lily said referring to her cough.

Jenn continued to cough, sending Lily a glare. Of course Lily had no idea that the hacking cough was no ordinary common cold.

"Listen Lily," Jenn croaked, coughing a few more times and then finally stopping. "Think about our homework." She said hoarsely.

"Homework?" Lily asked confused.

"Oh my god, you're like so dumb -" But then Jenn started coughing again and was unable to finish.

"Could you write it down?" Lily asked desperately, hating to hear Jenn cough like that. Jenn shook her head and mumbled something about having already tried it. Her eyes were watering by now and Lily could tell that it was hurting her.

"Are you all right Jenn?" Lily asked worriedly.

Jenn nodded and then shook her head.

"Maybe I should get Madam Pomfrey." Lily suggested casually.

"NO!" Jenn grabbed her by the arm, practically cutting off her circulation.

"Think of Professor Tomorrow's class, think about James your partner..."

Lily was having trouble connecting James with Professor Tomorrow. What did they have in common? James was wonderful and Professor Tomorrow was anything but. Jenn was trying to tell her something and Lily didn't have the faintest idea what she was going on about.

"The Project Lily, the project with the..." Jenn broke down coughing so horribly that her body shook and she had to lean on Lily.

It was only then as she stared into Jenn's bulging eyes and her desperate face that she realized what Jenn meant. She was so stupid, of course, why hadn't she seen it before?

"The Truth Potion." She breathed.

Jenn said nothing, but Lily could have sworn that the girl smiled just before her knees gave way and she crumpled to the floor.

"Ms. Evans why aren't you in class right now?"

Lily vaguely recognized the voice of Professor McGongall, but she ignored the professor's question. She knelt down on the ground beside Jenn's body, attempting to wake her up. But Jenn was unconscious.

"Is everything all right - What happened to Ms. Johnson!" Professor McGonagall gasped.

"She fainted... I think." Lily replied softly.

Professor McGonagall quickly examined the girl, looked at Lily, and then tapped Jenn's motionless body with her wand. Instantly the girl rose into the air and onto a magical stretcher that had appeared only instants before. The Infirmary wasn't far so Lily followed them.

"Do you have any ideas as to why she might have fainted?" The Professor asked.

"Um, she had a really bad cough that I think Madam Pomfrey should look at."

"That's all?" The Professor turned to look at Lily. She stared at Lily making her uncomfortable.

"I think she's getting sick." Lily didn't really know what to say but the Professor seemed satisfied with this answer.

Madam Pomfrey took Jenn from them laying her down in the bed that Jenn had resided in only a week or so before.

"I knew I shouldn't have released her. Poor girl wasn't the same. I knew she was off, that cough of hers..." Madam Pomfrey trailed off muttering about longer stays in the infirmary and releasing some students too soon. If Madam Pomfrey had her way she'd lock her poor students up for the rest of their lives.

"Madam Pomfrey will see to her, now you must get to class." Professor McGongall told Lily sternly.

Lily left without another word.

* * *

She was in a daze as she climbed to the North Tower where Divination was held. All this time the Truth Potion had been right in front of her nose and it hadn't even dawned on her. She slapped her forehead for the hundredth time wondering why she was so incredibly stupid. If Jenn hadn't pointed that out to her who knows how long it would have took her.

But would it work?

That was the question now.

They had to try it, there was no hurt in trying it. Lily opened the trap door and climbed into the Divination classroom hardly aware of the fact that she was twenty minutes late for class and the Professor hadn't said a word to her.

That was because the little old Professor was slumped in front of the fire snoring loudly. But none of this penetrated the mind of Lily Evans until a pair of arms took hold of her.

"Lily!" James grabbed her tugging her over to the table where he, Sirius, Diane and Peter were sitting.

"Oh, hi guys." She said slowly coming to herself.

"Where have you been all this time?" Diane asked but Lily barely picked up on it, her eyes were scanning the classroom. They finally came to rest on the Professor slumped in front of the fire and she snorted.

"I see you like our latest prank." Sirius said with a grin. He slapped James on the back.

"It's called the Sleeping Sickness, Zonkos just released it!"

"Usually she sleeps without the help of a potion." Lily commented remembering the many times the Professor had randomly fallen asleep during their class.

"True, but she seemed a little extra hyper today and well since you weren't here and we really couldn't resist..."

"I get the picture." Lily stopped him.

"So where were you?" Diane asked again. This question fell on deaf ears for the second time as Lily interrupted.

"Where's Mary, Remus and Taylor?" She asked them.

"Oh Mary and Remus are over there." They pointed to a table off in the corner where the two of them were sitting together talking in soft whispers and laughing.

"Aren't they so cute!" Sirius chirped in a feminine voice. James and Peter sniggered.

Lily spotted Taylor talking to a few of Jeff's Ravenclaw friends.

"Will you answer me now?" Diane asked Lily impatiently.

"Oh yeah what were you asking me again?"

"Where were you?"

Lily hesitated for a moment and then realized that it was no use lying.

"I met up with Jenn and I had to take her to the Hospital Wing." Lily said with a sigh.

"Oh my god what happened?" Diane gasped.

"She's all right, I think. She just fainted on me." Lily reassured them.

"Was she coughing again?"

Lily looked up to see Peter watching her. It was highly unusual for Peter to join in any intelligent conversations especially with her. Lily was about to say yes when she suddenly stopped herself.

"Was she?" Peter asked again urgently.

Lily didn't want to worry him and if she had to lie about it she would.

"No she wasn't coughing." Lily lied.

Relief flooded Peter's face and he almost smiled. He sat back in his seat and then suddenly sat up saying that he forgot to mail something. Before they could stop him he left through the trap door moving faster then they had ever seen in their life.

"What's up with him today?" Lily asked raising an eyebrow.

Diane shrugged and James said he didn't know but looked extremely puzzled as if it were bothering him.

Sirius on the other hand broke into a huge grin.

"I think our friend Peter has a crush on Jenn!"

Lily raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

"NO WAY!" Diane exclaimed.

But James suddenly spoke with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Sirius might be right. In all these years that I've known Peter I've never seen him act like this. He's been acting really weird lately, especially when he's around Jenn. So maybe he does like her."

Diane and Lily still looked skeptical so Sirius decided to break the news to them.

"Peter's been talking about her in his sleep."

"He's been what!" Diane said in disbelief.

"Yeah he's been talking about her in his sleep, but wait, it gets better. I think he even sent her a love letter."

Lily and Diane were now staring at him with wide eyes and unhinged jaws not bothering to mask their shock at this statement.

"AND, you'll love this one. He wanted to meet with her in the middle of the night."

"What did Jenn say?"

"Well obviously she flat out refused to go anywhere with that creep, which I thought was rather harsh on poor Peter." Sirius said with pang of sympathy for Peter.

Taylor suddenly dropped herself into the seat beside Sirius.

"She has every good reason to refuse him!" Taylor retorted with a scowl.

"Where did you come from?" Sirius asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"Never mind that. He's been stalking her. When you guys are all off snogging and I'm with Jenn he's always coming up to her and asking if she'll take a walk with him or if he can talk to her in "private"." Taylor explained to them.

"It wouldn't hurt if she went with him once or twice." James said quietly.

Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Don't you guys get it! Jenn's not interested, if she says she is she'll only be leading him on."

"Oh, I see your point." Diane said with a sigh.

"It would just be more painful to Peter if she started spending time with him and then rejected him." She clarified for Sirius and James.

"Ohhhhh."

"Besides, Jenn's going through a rough time right now. She hasn't got over the" She coughed meaningfully here. "The "incident" yet." She said enunciating incident.

Just then someone announced that class was over and if they wanted to make their next class then they better get a move on it. Lily made a silent note to explain the rest of the situation with Jenn to Diane later. She couldn't wait to tell them about the Truth Potion.

* * *

Diane stood outside of the infirmary waiting impatiently for Lily. All day Lily had been dying to tell her something but every time she tried to talk to her the Professors decided to actually teach something.

"You will be taking your N.E.W.Ts soon." Professor McGonagall had briskly informed them.

All of the students had groaned. The class that had graduated before them had nothing but good things to say about them.

"Say goodbye to eating, sleeping, and anything that involves having fun it's going to be study, study, study!"

"Oh don't worry about it, I only passed a couple and the Ministry still hired me."

"Aren't you an assistant Toilet Cleaner?"

"That's not the point, they still hired me!"

"I still have nightmares about them!"

"Don't mention those four letters in my presence ever again or I swear I'll murder you."

"I didn't do too well on my N.E.W.Ts. But don't worry my parents let me move back in...after a couple of years."

"My mom was so pleased that she blew up the house!"

How could they forget that their time at Hogwarts was rapidly ending and their exams would be coming up? Diane hated anything that involved taking a test. She shuddered at the idea of N.E.W.Ts. (cough SATs cough)

"Hey Diane!" Mary called cheerfully.

"Hey Mary, where's Lily?" Diane greeted her gloomily.

"Oh she's coming. What's with the long face?" She asked Diane.

"Four letters, N.E.W.T."

Both Diane and Mary winced as if they had been hit.

"We have exactly one month to live." Mary said sadly.

"I'm going to miss this life, it was nice knowing you Mary." Diane said dramatically.

"Oh cheer up you two!"

Lily arrived with a smile.

"How can you be so happy at a time like this?" Mary asked grumpily.

"I just found out that the N.E.W.Ts results aren't sent home until August." Lily said with a grin.

Diane and Mary instantly cheered up.

"That gives me enough time to figure out how to burn them." Diane exclaimed joyfully.

"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you." Mary said with a horrific expression on her face.

"Why not?" Lily asked, who had obviously had a similar idea on her mind. It was and idea that involved feeding it to a shredder and then dropping the remains into a crackling fire.

"My brother tried to burn his. The papers not only repel fire, but just about everything else. Not only that, but if you try to burn it this curse activates and well..." Mary looked down at her feet sadly.

"Is that how he got that gash on his cheek? Is that why he went to St. Mungo's for a week?" Diane asked with wide eyes.

Mary nodded. The three girls stared at each other then suddenly all three of them hugged each other.

"It was nice knowing you!"

"I'll see you in the promised land!"

"I hear they give you all the popcorn you want!"

"Popcorn?" Diane and Lily turned to look at Mary with a confused look on their face.

"I like popcorn!" Mary said throwing up her arms in defense.

Diane and Lily just laughed. Mary scowled but then she couldn't help but grin.

"We still have a couple more months, so we should enjoy it while we can!" She said cheerfully.

"That's exactly why I think that rather then study for an exam we're just going to fail anyway, we should just sit back relax, have fun, kick some Slytherin butt-"

"DIANE!" Mary and Lily groaned.

"I'm just going to fail them anyway!" Diane sighed. "Why bother trying?" She scowled.

"We're all going into this together." Lily said seriously. "And we'll do everything it takes to get out alive."

"Look on the bright side when we do die,"

"Diane it's not _when_ we die, it's _if_ we die!"

Diane rolled her eyes at Mary.

"All right, _if_ we die then at least we'll all be dying together." She said with a slight grin.

"Don't worry, we'll survive this one." Lily said with a grin.

"You know Marauders do come in handy. Do you think they might happen to know where the answers to the tests are?" Diane asked.

"DIANE!"

The three girls burst into laughter, thoroughly aware of how childish they looked and sounded.

"Enough about Deaths er I mean Tests." Lily began but that just started them off again.

"Heaven's going to be in big trouble when they see us!" Mary laughed.

"Who said we were going to heaven?" Diane asked with a devilish grin.

Once again they were laughing. After about another ten minutes they finally calmed down enough to breathe.

"Now what did you want to tell us Lily?" Diane asked.

"Remember how we were talking about Jenn's well her uh "problem"." Lily said this with a slight cough so Diane and Mary understood instantly what she was referring too.

"Did you figure something out?" Mary asked hopefully.

"I didn't." Lily replied.

Their faces fell.

"But Jenn did." Lily beamed and their spirits once again lifted.

"So what's her brilliant idea?" Diane asked excitedly.

"It's so obvious, I should have thought of it before but I was so caught up in everything with James and then -"

"Lily."

"And so of course I only thought of spells and Charms but never did I even think that it could be -"

"LILY!"

Lily blushed, realizing that she got carried away again.

"So let me ask again, what was Jenn's idea?" Diane repeated. Lily beckoned for them to move closer to her and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"A Truth Potion."

**A/N: This is probably another chapter where I go off the deep end, but I think I wrote it with Finals/Mid Years/You fill in the Blank/ in mind. I'm combing through the next couple of chapters, trying my best to fix them and then of course I still have at least two more chapters to write. It won't be finished by HBP, but I have at least 5 more chapters ready to go. **

**HarryluvsMoaningMyrtle: **I fell in love with Sirius and Diane, but Lily and James are of course my all time favorite. I adore Sirius! I couldn't resist the opportunity. Thanks for reviewing!

**Chrissy8887779999: **The plot is going to get a lot darker unfortunately. Jenn has cracked due to the traitor's pressuring. But she's making one final effort to reveal him to the others. I love Sirius, I couldn't resist throwing that scene in there. Thanks for reviewing!

**Sweet Sarcasm: **I'm out of school, finally. I know you guys have probably been out for at least a month. Alas, I still have homework though. There's no escaping. I've been thinking about getting a livejournal, I'll let you know if I do. There's more angst to come, unfortunately. Thanks for reviewing!

**RemmyRemski: **I totally agree with you, the whole hot chocolate/review thing. Same thing with fluff. Though it's so hot here that I think hot chocolate is the very last thing I want right now. Don't start crying on me yet, it gets worse! Thanks for reviewing!

**Amelia Bedelia: **That's a great title for it, why didn't I think of that? The flashback was written simply because, well I felt like it. And I had a sudden desire to write Diane's parents deaths. I think I was just a little depressed when I wrote that chapter and the rest that follow. I'm glad you were inspired! I can't wait to read Chapter 21. I know, I've been working on this thing for almost 3 years and I'm still no closer to deciding on the ending than I was last year! I still have 5 more chapters ready to go, but I'm not sure if I'll make the HBP deadline. Thanks for reviewing and I'll be sending you an e-mail!

**TajM: **Funny you should mention phenomenal because I was trying to spell it the other day and I could not find my dictionary. I would write L/J entirely but the problem is that you get these great ideas for romance or scenes and you're like wait, this wouldn't fit for the L/J relationship, but it will fit for OCs. I need to stop focusing so much on OCs and more on L/J! Thanks for reviewing!

**J.E.A.R.K. Potter**: I'm glad you thought the flashback was alright! Thanks for reviewing, as always I appreciate it!

**Wudnulike2know: **Thanks, I do my best to translate everything that pops into my head and paint a picture. Thanks for reviewing!

**LMDGlUVR4EVA: **I spend the whole school year trying to come up with new insults for my teachers and usually they turn up in my stories. coughProfessor Tomorrowcough Um I'm not really sure whether I'm going to do a scene with Sirius and Hagrid and baby Harry. There is an idea that's been rolling around in my head but I'm still not sure what to do with it. I will do it eventually, but it might not be for this story. Thanks for reviewing!

**X.Miss.Padfoot.X: **Sorry? Wow, I didn't realize that people actually cried after reading that last chapter. I can't wait to see what happens when we get closer to the end. Not saying anything else. Muhahaha. Thanks for reviewing, but if you take my computer, no more story!

**Chikichiki: **Thanks for reviewing, and don't worry there's at least 5 more chapters, perhaps more to come after this one!

**OTHCharmedHPFreak:** No that's definitely not the end! I agree that would be an awful ending! I'll update ASAP, I promise! Thanks for reviewing.

**Nina12321: **Aw thanks, I'm glad you like the story. Thanks for reviewing and there will be at least a few more chapters to come!

**LCH8292: **Believe me I considered making Lily do it. It would have been hilarious and well deserved but everyone does that and I figured that this way was more unique. Thanks for reviewing!


	32. A Glimpse of the Future

**Cursed **

**By HazelMist**

**Summary: _Lily and James give the Slytherins and their favorite Professor something to talk about. Jenn approaches Lily asking about her "research". Lily invests Jenn's help, and Jenn gives her an idea that might be just what they need. Our _**_favorite** Marauder has a crush on Jenn, and Diane, Mary and Lily discover that their N.E.W.Ts results don't get owled home until August!**_

**Chapter 32: A Glimpse of the Future**

_She stood alone, staring down at the hundreds of seats before her. She was at the theater, a place that she had hated ever since Petunia had been forced to take her there along with her snobby friends. But this time there was no Petunia, in fact Lily was the only one there. _

Slowly she started down the aisle as the lights dimmed low. The stage was lit, the curtain lifted, and now Lily Evans took her seat in the empty audience waiting eagerly for the first act to begin, a mere outsider waiting for the plot to unfold.

And so it started…

Lily found herself staring up into a familiar face. The young woman, barely twenty with the same red hair, green eyes and happy smile was twirling about in her wedding gown. It was Lily, except she was older.

A voice spoke behind her, and Lily found that she recognized it, knew what it was going to say without even waiting to turn around and look. It was Diane, an older Diane, the Maid of Honor.

Lily realized with a gasp that she had had this dream before, except the last time she was marrying James Potter.

Could this possibly be the future? Or was this a mere fantasy taking the form of her dreams?

There was a knock at the door and indistinctively Lily turned around as well as the other two. Diane leapt up to stop him from entering and suddenly the scene was falling away, just like that fading into black.

Lily squinted in the darkness but she couldn't see anything. All around her there were voices though, ringing through the shadows, piercing her tender heart.

"You have failed me." The cold voice said, a voice that Lily had only heard in her nightmares.

"Yes." A trembling voice replied.

"Those who fail me meet the consequences."

"NO! Master have mercy!"

"You are worthless to me."

"WAIT! I can find out where they are! Please I'll do anything just don't kill me."

"SHUT UP YOU FILTHY RAT! Crucio!"

Screams pierced the darkness and Lily clapped her hands over her ears.

"DON'T KILL ME! I KNOW WHERE BLACK IS!"

Abruptly the screaming stopped.

_The stage was relit, the curtain once again lifted, and a new scene that sent shivers down her spine opened. It was a graveyard. Almost all of the graves had been freshly covered, the mounds of dirt were dark and had no grass growing on them and all of these were covered entirely with flowers and other things such as photographs and messages from the heart. _

As Lily passed one grave she looked down to see the smiling, waving photograph of a small child, reading the stone she realized the girl had only been six when she died. Her siblings, not much older the she were buried beside her, all going to their death on the same day. Lily had to move on because she felt sick. The next one was no better. It was another winking photograph showing a mother with several children clinging to her, all smiling and laughing while a husband somehow managed to kiss her cheek through the five young children.

"Marlene and Patrick Mckinnon", and the grave beside it was their five young children.

Lily thought she might throw up, but just then she caught sight of someone walking toward her. It was herself, again, except she looked so much older now. It was her eyes, they were so dull, the light had died in them, and the dark circles around them, red rimmed from crying and the premature wrinkles that were beginning to form that showed how she had aged much too quickly. Lily realized with a funny jolt that she was also with child. Could it be James's child that she was carrying?

Lily touched her stomach, as the older version of herself walked right through her and knelt down in front of the Mckinnon's gravestones. For the longest time she just sat there staring picking at the flowers and the letters lightly, tracing over the words. She picked up one photograph that Lily couldn't see, looking it over before pulling it to her bosom and closing her eyes. When she opened them a great sadness was in her eyes, but her tears were gone it seemed.

Suddenly she whipped around, panic in her eyes and wand out. It washed away as she once again walked right through Lily stepping into the arms of someone who was behind her. Lily turned and this time she wasn't surprised to find an older James Potter comforting the pregnant Lily in his arms. He looked so tired, the mischievous glint gone from his eyes and even his hair seemed to have calmed down as if he too had put on too many years in a short span of time.

"They're all dead now James, he killed every one of them…" Her voice trembled with anger.

"I know." He whispered burying his face into her hair.

"_He killed her and then he killed her family! And then he killed the Bones, and then he killed the" She dissolved into tears. _

James stroked her hair holding her in his arms. He kissed her hair, closed his eyes running his hands up and down her back in an attempt to comfort his sobbing wife. And she was his wife, because Lily noticed that there was a ring on both of their fingers.

"I miss her James." The crying Lily whispered. "I miss them all." She said softly.

"I do too." James replied with a sad sigh.

"James, I'm so scared. What if he comes for us next? How can we protect our baby?" She gasped between her sobs.

"Shhh… nothing's going to happen to the baby." But his eyes stared over her head and they were filled with fear, as if he himself did not believe this comment. An uneasy silence filled the air broken only by the sobs of Lily Potter, as Lily Evans stared into the eyes of her future husband who was staring right through her comforting her.

"I'll make sure of it." James Potter whispered, a new light coming into his eyes, the light of determination.

A wind picked up, blowing a photograph off of the Mckinnon's grave. Lily stared at the faded photograph on the ground before her. She tried to grab it but her hand went right through it. All ready the scene was dissolving, once again fading away.

She bent down staring at it, recognizing it almost instantly.

Wildly she turned back to look at the gravestone. Her eyes widened when she saw the name that her eyes had carelessly passed over before.

A flashback that she didn't remember suddenly went through her mind. There was a green light, someone falling to the ground, never to move again. Her eyes snapped open and there was the horrible name inscribed on the stone.

"NO!"

"Wake up, Lily, wake up!"

Voices were calling to her, but Lily clung to the gravestone, wondering what else she would find. But the gravestone dissolved in her hands as darkness and nothingness suddenly swallowed her up. Lily lunged forward desperately trying to cling to the dream.

"NO! I have to know. NO!"

"LILY!"

Lily stopped struggling as someone shouted her name and shook her gently. Her eyes snapped open and she found herself back in her Dormitory, on the floor in a tangled mess of sheets. Glancing around she found Diane and Mary kneeling down on either side of her looking extremely worried.

"Another nightmare?" Diane asked softly.

Lily nodded and sat up. Carefully she untangled herself from the pile of sheets and tossed them onto her bed. Mary waved her wand and the bed made itself in a matter of seconds.

Lily stood up and stretched, walking over to the window and opening it. The chilly morning air cooled her sweaty face and neck. She took a few gulps of the fresh air and she felt a lot calmer. She could feel the eyes of her friends upon her, boring into her back.

"It was just a dream!" She sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"I think it might mean something. Usually when you have a dream more than once it's trying to tell you something." Diane said.

"Either that or you need some major therapy." Mary muttered under her breath.

Lily forced a laugh and Diane shot Mary a glare.

"No it doesn't mean anything, it was just a silly dream." Lily insisted. The dream had been so horrible that she prayed that it had nothing to do with her life or anyone else's for that matter.

"What happened this time?" Mary asked.

"Nothing." Lily snapped.

Mary ignored her attitude though and continued.

"Did you get married to James again?"

Lily said nothing, but they could tell by the back of her neck that she was blushing. Both Mary and Diane exchanged a look that was a cross between confusion and amusement.

"Lily if you keep having nightmares about getting married then maybe you have a fear of commitment." Diane wondered aloud.

Lily snorted. If there was anyone who feared commitment it would be James Potter. He had gone through every girl in the school and none of them had lasted more then a week. But that was before he had set his eyes on her. Actually it had been Lily who had practically blown him up.

"You know what. I think you and James should go for couple counseling." Mary suggested seriously.

Lily and Diane turned to look at Mary then started laughing.

"Hey it was just a suggestion." Mary said defensively.

"I think you both should stop analyzing my dreams. They mean nothing because they're just dreams." Lily gathered up her clothes and went to go take a shower.

"Couple counseling?" Diane snorted. Mary glared at her.

"At least I'm not the one who keeps saying that Lily fears commitment." Mary shot back.

"Well what else could it mean?" Diane asked her scowling.

Mary shrugged.

"I don't know, the future perhaps?"

Diane was thoughtful for a moment.

"I all ready thought of that. But how could that be? Lily's no seer." Diane said quietly.

"At least we don't think she is..." Mary trailed off and both girls stared at the bathroom door listening to the sound of the running water.

She couldn't be a seer...could she?

* * *

Lily stepped out of the bathroom. She ran a hand through her wet hair, grabbing her wand off of the table. After using a simple drying charm her hair returned to its usual shade of red. The Dormitory was empty. Mary and Diane had offered to wait, but Lily had insisted that she'd meet them in the Great Hall in a few minutes.

Lily crossed the room and began gathering her books from the floor. She had been studying last night for her N.E.W.Ts. Lately that was all the seemed to be doing. Jenn and even Taylor (the worst student of all of them) had joined Lily, Mary and Diane's study group the last couple of nights. It was difficult not to worry about the tests when they were only a few weeks away.

Her Charm's Notes lay discarded on the desk in the corner. Late last night a panicking Taylor had borrowed them, and when Lily went to bed she was still reading them. Now Lily retrieved them, carefully filing them in an organized manner. She was nearly finished when she caught sight of the framed photograph. It had been there for so long that Lily tended to overlook it. But now she picked it up, wiped off the layer of dust, and sat down to look at it.

It was a picture of the five Gryffindor Girls. One day during their fourth year Mary's older sister had forced them all to get together at the Gryffindor table so she could get a picture of them before she graduated. Despite their differences the girls had made an effort to at least pretend that they were friends. Lily leaned forward peering at the fourteen year old Lily Evans in the photograph. Her hair was longer and she looked more innocent and carefree, laughing with Diane at something sarcastic Mary had just said. The photograph had been taken with a wizard camera so it continued to move, never ceasing to awe Lily. She had one arm around Diane and the other around Mary. Mary's arm was around Taylor who had an arm around Jenn. Taylor whispered something in Jenn's ear and they giggled and edged out of the photograph, probably in pursuit of a cute looking boy.

Lily continued to watch the young girls in the photograph, amused by their antics. Her fourteen year old self was currently mimicking an arrogant James Potter sending Mary and Diane into fits of laughter. What would she have done without Mary and Diane? A smile creased her face as she remembered the very first day they met.

_Curled up on her bed, Lily Evans, sorted into Gryffindor only days before, was in tears. She wanted nothing more then to go home. She missed her parents, her house, her old school where no one had bothered her and even her annoying older sister. She was lonely, sad, angry, and humiliated beyond belief. Her life had been living hell since she arrived on Platform 9 and 3 quarters, all thanks to James Potter. _

First he told her that she had to say "I adore James Potter" in order to get onto the Platform. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough only hours before James and his two friends had gone and set up a huge prank. He had asked her to be friends with him and for one fleeting moment Lily had actually believed that he was sincere, but it had all been an act. Next thing she knew she had been half monkey and on fire. Lily whimpered as fresh tears slid down her cheeks. Her hair was still singed, and the effects of whatever they had done to her were still there. She knew she was being a baby, but it had been so awful. Everyone had been laughing at her, everyone had saw her accept James's hand and make the biggest mistake of her life.

"How could I be so stupid!" She cried. "I HATE HIM!" Her shout cut through the air echoing off the empty walls. Then she dissolved into sobs. "I want to go home." She whimpered.

"Lily?" A soft voice called.

Lily froze. She had been crying so loudly, drowning in self pity that she hadn't realized that two of her room mates had returned. Now their footsteps approached the bed, cutting through the silence. She could hear them whispering to each other, so quietly that Lily couldn't hear what they were saying. She shut her eyes hoping that they would go away. She didn't want to deal with the female version of James Potter and his friends.

"So your name is Lily." The curtains quivered. Then suddenly they were ripped open, exposing Lily to the light and the eyes of two of her room mates.

_Lily had her knees pulled against her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. She lifted her head, staring at the two girls through eyes half blinded by tears. _

"We thought we'd introduce ourselves. I'm Diane." The taller one said quickly, trying her best not to make Lily uncomfortable. She was pretty with curly blonde hair and greyish blue eyes.

"And this is Mary." Diane said gesturing to the other girl. The one beside her had dark brown hair, pulled into a ponytail, and dark eyes of the same color as her hair.

Lily stared at them, trying to make sense of their introductions. What did they want from her? Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

"You're Lily, right?" Diane asked with a cautious smile. Lily could only nod in reply.

"Well now that we all know each other..." The two girls exchanged a glance, unsure of what to say next. Diane boldly sat down on the edge of Lily's bed and Mary followed her lead.

"Lily, what those idiotic gits did to you was cruel." Diane said bluntly.

Lily was pleased to hear them call them "idiotic gits", but for James Potter "idiotic git" was an understatement. She was beginning to wonder if perhaps these girls were nice after all.

"How could they be so mean?" Mary burst out angrily. "Just wait until I get my hands on them." She snarled.

Diane and Lily both looked at Mary in surprise. The girl hadn't spoken a word, but now she seemed to have plenty to say.

"They seemed nice when we met them. But now I know they're nothing more then a bunch of slimy slytherins." Mary spat. She continued to rant, spitting out insults, and soon Diane joined her. It was easy to insult the boys, Lily was soon adding her two knuts as well.

Mary brought over some candy left over from the train ride and soon they were swapping chocolate frogs and stories. The words came more easily. Before she knew it Lily was opening up to the two girls telling them about her first encounter on the platform with James and the girl's bathroom incident. Diane and Mary roared with laughter and congratulated her on slapping James and embarrassing him in the bathroom.

"I've known Sirius forever, but I've never seen him sink this low. I'm not going to speak to them ever again!" Diane vowed.

"I'm not speaking to any of them!" Mary agreed.

"Neither am I. Especially James Potter!" Lily added. There was a murmur of agreement from the other two.

"You know what, I think Potter and friends deserve a taste of their own medicine." Mary exclaimed.

"You mean like prank them?" Lily asked grinning. Mary nodded and Diane got so excited that she nearly choked on a Chocolate Frog.

"I've got an idea!" She squealed, when she had finally swallowed the chocolate. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief as she turned to the other two girls.

"I'm going to need your help, but I think this might work!" Diane said.

Mary and Lily leaned forward to listen as Diane quietly began explaining her idea. Lily knew as she looked to her two new friends, that it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

That had been only the beginning... Seven years later their friendship had grown stronger, and the three girls possessed a bond that not many people could even dream of having. The three girls in the picture frame were now talking amongst themselves. Taylor and Jenn had sidled back into the picture and were now gossiping and giggling about something.

Those had been better days. Lily hadn't even known that You-Know-Who existed in her fourth year. Jenn's parents were still alive, it would be a few months before they met their fate. And Diane's parents, they wouldn't even go into hiding for another year. It would be almost two years before they left this world. Yes, those numbered days before the darkness set in had been precious. But now that it had arrived, there seemed to be no end in sight. It just got darker with each passing moment.

Just like her dream... Lily's train of thoughts escaped her. She stared hard at the photograph as if seeing it for the first time. She had a case of de ja vu. Wasn't this the photograph from her dream? A fleeting image of a photograph blowing off of a gravestone, landing at her feet flashed through her mind. She bent down to pick it up, recognizing the fading photograph almost instantly. The image was gone as quickly as it had came.

Lily was left holding the photograph, wondering why the hell it had turned up in her dream on a gravestone of all places.

"I don't want to know." Lily whispered aloud.

With trembling hands she placed the photograph back in its original position on the desk. She finished gathering up her notes and books and left the Dormitory. Perhaps if she hurried, she might make it in time to catch a bite to eat.

* * *

Only a few students were wandering about the vacant halls, but she still had some time before class started. Lily took her sweet time, listening to her echoing footsteps and taking in the familiar scenery. She could probably find her way to the Great Hall in her sleep, Hogwarts had been her home for so long.

The smile ran away from her face as she realized that her time at Hogwarts was ending. A few weeks and she and her friends would be saying their goodbyes, entering the real world. Would they still be close friends? What would they end up doing for a living?

She shuddered, as she remembered the eerie image of the faded photograph blowing off the gravestone. One of us... Lily blinked chasing the thoughts from her mind. It was just a dream, nothing to get worked up over.

"Hey Lily, over here!"

Lily looked up and found Taylor beckoning to her. She was with her boyfriend, Jeff Prewett.

"I was just on my way back, I forgot your Charms notes I'm so sorry." Taylor blurted out.

"It's okay, I have them." Lily assured her.

Taylor breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's about time she studied." Jeff muttered. Taylor hit him, a little too hard.

"Ow!"

Lily hid a grin. It was a well known fact that Ravenclaws were known for their studious habits. It was also a well known fact that lately he had been distracted from his studies by a certain Gryffindor gal.

"I take it you two are heading for the library." Lily said with a wink in Taylor's direction. Taylor glared, reaching into the pocket where her wand was kept.

"Actually we are." Jeff said, totally oblivious.

"I'll see you in class." Lily said smirking at Taylor. The other girl made a threatening motion but Jeff grabbed her by the arm dragging her off to the library.

Lily walked into the Great Hall and was greeted by her friends at the Gryffindor Table.

"Where have you been Lily?" Mary asked.

"We've been waiting here for hours!" Diane exclaimed.

James stood up giving her a peck on the cheek before gesturing to the seat he had saved for her beside him. Lily smiled and sat down.

"James was panicking again." Sirius said grinning.

"I was not." James protested.

"Sure..." The others rolled their eyes.

"He just misses me." Lily said with a smile, leaning her head on his shoulder.

James grinned, leaning down to share a short kiss with her.

"Yes I missed you." He whispered.

"Get a room!"

"YUCK!"

"Ewwww!"

"You two disgust me."

Lily and James just laughed.

"You're all just jealous." James said smirking.

A large amount of denials and protests were thrown his way. James' smirk just grew wider as he tightened his hold on her. Lily rolled her eyes and started on her breakfast. Sometimes she wished James wasn't so arrogant, but then again it didn't seem to bother her as much as it used too. It used to drive her up a wall, it was one of those reasons why she hated him from day one. But now, just like all of his other faults, they were something she looked past or something that she grew to love. How sickening, she thought to herself, I love James Potter because he's arrogant. She sighed. If only her fourteen year old self could see her now, she could only imagine what she would say to her.

_"You actually KISSED him! You're DATING him! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR BLOODY MIND? ARE YOU UNDER THE IMPERIUS CURSE?"_

Lily couldn't help but giggle.

"What are you laughing about?" James asked suspiciously, as if he suspected that it might have something to do with him.

"Nothing." Lily said quickly.

"What do we have first?" Jenn asked, yawning sleepily.

"We have Divination." Diane replied.

"I have muggle studies." Jenn groaned dropping her head back into her hands. "I hate muggle studies, it's almost as boring as History of Magic."

"It must be boring, if you're comparing it to Binns' class." Sirius said. "I swear that once I heard two students died in his class from a severe case of boredom. One got so bored that he exploded, and the other, his heart just stopped." Sirius shook his head mournfully. "Merlin bless their sweet souls." He added.

"Naw, that's way too exciting for Professor Binns. There's no way something that interesting could ever happen in his class." Diane protested.

"Good point." Sirius agreed and returned to his fourth helping.

"We have Potion's second today." Lily said quietly.

"So?" James asked.

Lily was lost in a moment of thought. The Truth Potion was nearly complete. All they had left to do was add the final ingredient and then they would be asking each other questions. Her eyes involuntarily flicked to Jenn. She was surprised to find that Jenn was looking back at her. Lily gave a quick nod, and Jenn nodded in return as if understanding her thoughts.

It had to be done as soon as possible. And today during class might be the perfect opportunity. Or at least they could steal a bottle for later use. Yes that's what they would do. She glanced over at Diane and Mary, deciding that she would pass the message onto them in Divination.

Just a few more hours, perhaps even less then that, and they would finally know the truth. Lily's pulse quickened, and for the first time in her life she was actually looking forward to Potions.

* * *

James climbed up the old ladder, into the stuffy Divination classroom. Turning he offered a hand to Lily, who accepted it with a small grin. The grin was gone from her face just as quickly as it appeared. Puzzled, his eyes followed her as she solemnly took a seat. There was something wrong with her today, she was never quiet as she had been at breakfast and was now.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned back to find Sirius standing there with his hand stretched out. He batted his eyelashes at him.

"James I think I need some help. Would you be a darling and offer me a hand?" He asked in a feminine voice.

James grinned, making as if he were going to offer a hand to Sirius. Instead he slammed the trap door shut, narrowly missing Sirius hand and head.

He walked away, pretending that he didn't hear Sirius furiously banging on the door, calling his name followed by a series of insults. Lily didn't even scold him, she was staring off into space, looking right past him. She didn't hear or see anything that was around her.

"Hey." He touched her shoulder gently and she blinked. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly as she turned to look at him.

"I'm fine." She said with a smile.

James raised an eyebrow.

"Then how come you're so... distant today?" He asked.

"I'm not distant." Then she saw the look on his face. "Well I admit I have been thinking. I'm just tired James, we have NEWTS coming up and then we graduate and go out into the real world. It's just so overwhelming." She said trailing off with a sigh.

"JJJJJAAAAAMMMMMMEEEEESSSSSS PPPPPPPOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEERRRRRR!"

Lily, James and the few Ravenclaws that had already entered looked up at the sound of some very loud banging and the yelling of the infamous Maruader's name.

"James." Lily sighed.

"Yes?" James asked innocently.

"What did you do?" Lily asked glaring.

"Just charmed the trap door shut. It'll open... soon... maybe before the end of the day."

Lily groaned muttering something about an "immature git" that couldn't possibly be James Potter. She took out her wand pointing it at the trap door but there was no need for just then the door was blasted open, wood flying in all directions.

Mary appeared first, brushing some sawdust from her robes and shoving her wand back into her pocket. The class stared at her in silence.

"Sirius was starting to annoy me." Mary said with a shrug. And then she calmly took her seat beside Lily.

"Was it really necessary to blast the door open?" Taylor asked as she climbed out behind her tying in vain to get the splinters out of her hair. She was followed by a shocked Sirius, a surprised Diane and a confused Remus.

"Yes it was necessary. Sirius was making me go insane." Mary replied.

"Well now you know why I lost my mind a long time ago." Diane groaned shaking the sawdust and splinters from her hair, making her look rather crazy.

"Diane you must be a saint to put up with him." Lily said with a laugh.

Diane cracked a grin. "I hear James Potter isn't much better."

"Well what can I say? The only reason he's tolerable is because I have him under my spell." Lily said with a wink.

The other three laughed.

"Excuse me! Settle down kiddos. EXCUSE ME!"

Standing on top of a table was Professor Coincidence. She waved her arms frantically about, raising her high pitched voice to get the attention of the class.

"Now that I have your attention..." She stopped glaring down at the Ravenclaw at her feet that was desperately trying to get her attention. "WHAT! ARE YOU DARING TO QUESTION THE FATES THAT HAVE EMPOWERED ME! ARE YOU MOCKING MY SEER ABILITIES!"

The boy shook his head frantically.

"You're standing on my hand." He whimpered.

Professor Coincidence moved over stepping on the hands of his friend, who hurriedly yanked his hands off the table, causing the small professor to nearly lose her balance. She grabbed her turban, steadying it, before she continued.

"Now as I was saying, I would like to begin the lesson if you don't mind. I have a lot to teach today and I need your full attention."

Everyone looked up in shock. Taylor actually gasped, and Diane clutched at her heart as if she were dying of a heart attack.

The old Divination Professor rarely attempted to teach a lesson, especially after what had happened a few weeks ago. A grin crossed James Potter's face as he exchanged a look with his infamous partner in crime, Sirius Black. Lily had apparently repaired the entire "FALSE FORTUNE TELLER" series, much to their disappointment. Even the turban had been replaced. All their hard work had gone to waste. Though the memory, especially Sirius and his "holy" eight ball would go down in history as one of their better pranks.

"I am going to pass out the crystal balls and I want you all to follow my instructions carefully." She said opening up the cabinet. The eyes of the class were growing wider, as their jaws dropped in shock.

Never before had they been allowed to handle real crystal balls. Only the Professor herself was allowed to have one. (And this was for obvious reasons since hers wasn't a real crystal ball)It was a real wonder that they had passed their O.W.Ls having neglected the Crystal Ball unit completely. But the Examiner had laughed so hard, that he had been in tears by the end of it. They could only guess that he had thoroughly enjoyed their imaginative visions and had given extra points to whoever could make up the best ones. Why else would Sirius Black have an "Outstanding" OWL in Divination?

The Crystal Balls were taken out and one was placed on each table for the students occupying it to share. Lily had never actually seen a real one before, being a muggle born, and she examined it with a keen eye wondering how it worked.

"Do you actually see things in these?" She asked Diane.

"Sometimes, if you have the gift." Diane replied.

"Don't get your hopes up though." Mary chimed in. "Usually, if you see anything at all, it's just vague and cloudy and mostly shapes that you have to put together. It's one of those things where imagination is the only requirement." She added.

Lily didn't doubt her. The whole subject was a joke, especially with Professor Coincidence teaching them. Lily sometimes wished she took Care of Magical Creatures instead.

"Now I want you each to take a turn staring into the crystal ball. Open your inner eye and the fates shall inform you of your path. The crystal ball will reveal all my children."

Diane reached for the crystal ball first. Rolling up her sleeves she proceeded to imitate their pathetic professor, bending her head to the table and making a series of funny humming noises. She waved her hands around mimicking the absurd motions their professor usually used to "summon" the fates.

Lily laughed and Taylor giggled, and even Mary who seemed to be in a bad mood grinned reluctantly. Diane ignored them, leaning forward so that her face was nearly pressed against the glass ball like the Professor usually did. She pretended as if she were going into a trance. Lily's curiosity got the better of her and she interrupted the _seer_.

"Do you see anything?"

"Do I see? Yes my child the fates have shown the path to me. I see the face of a beautiful woman. She has a lovely appearance, beautiful blue grey eyes, short blonde curly hair that frames her perfect face, a brilliant smile. She is filthy rich and a world famous quidditch player. She has everything she has ever asked for, ever dreamed of... But who is this beautiful Mademoiselle?"

Lily snorted and Mary rolled her eyes. She took the crystal ball away from Diane.

"Wait I think I know who she was!" Diane exclaimed dramatically making a grab for the crystal ball. "It was the beautiful, the magnificent, Diane -"

"Oh put a sock in it. I think you've been spending way too much time in front of the mirror." Mary interrupted holding the crystal ball out of her reach.

"I told you Diane. Drugs are bad for you, they cloud your vision, and give way to false hallucinations. You need to stop taking them." Lily said with a sigh.

Diane scowled turning her nose up.

"You just wish you had a future as bright as I do!" She said snobbishly tossing her blonde curls over her shoulder.

"Oh yes Diane, we envy you and your wishful, sorry did I say wishful? I meant blissful, future, and your incredible imaginative, I meant innovative, skills." Mary said sarcastically.

"Just because you three have no future, doesn't mean you have to start picking on mine!" Diane said haughtily.

Mary rolled her eyes again and turned her dark eyes onto the crystal ball. She stared into the swirling depths dully.

"Have the fates informed you of your path? Or is your imagination, I mean your inner eye, worn out?" Lily asked her friend.

Mary chuckled removing her eyes from the crystal ball for a brief moment. Suddenly her eyes flicked back to it, and she leaned forward squinting into the glass.

"What?"

But Mary ignored her moving ever closer to it, as if in a trance. She was attempting to concentrate, attempting to see something in the swirling fogs that had caught her eye moments before.

"What is it?" Lily asked again urgently.

Mary blinked coming free from the trance. She stared at the crystal ball, her face a mirror of confusion.

"Did you see something?" Taylor asked.

Mary blinked again and snorted, staring at the crystal ball in disgust. She pushed the crystal ball over to Taylor.

"What did you see?" Lily asked eagerly.

"I saw this incredibly conceited girl, she was on drugs, hallucinating often. She had blonde hair and blue grey eyes and I believe she was a Gryffindor. She told me her name, I think it was Diane. Actually she looked and acted a lot like our Diane. But she couldn't be our Diane..."

Diane hit her. Lily and Taylor barely managed to suppress a grin.

"Oh and then I saw Lily and James get married, and Taylor and Jeffy." Mary continued.

"And I suppose I got stuck with Blacky boy." Diane growled.

"No actually, he drove you to insanity." Mary said mock seriously.

Diane actually laughed this time.

"You are a seer Mary!" She said jokingly.

Taylor went next. She stared hard at the crystal ball as if desperately searching for the answers. They soon discovered that she _literally_ was searching for the answers.

"I was hoping that I'd get to see the N.E.W.T examines." She said with a sad sigh as she turned it reluctantly over to Lily.

"Don't we all." Lily agreed as she took it from her.

"Why don't you try, Lily." Mary suggested.

Lily snorted. "Like I'll be able to see anything."

"Come on Lily." Diane whined as Lily attempted to give it back to her. "Don't be such a spoil sport, just give it a shot." She said shoving it into her hands.

Lily rolled her eyes but obediently looked at the crystal ball. There was nothing but cloudy smoke lazily rolling around the glassy depths. After a while, it seemed to pull you into a trance, like a hypnotist. No wonder the teacher was so batty.

"What do you see Lily?" Diane whispered.

Lily shook her head. "Nothing but smoke, maybe my house is going to burn down or I'm going to start smoking..."

"Lily quit fooling around and concentrate!"

Lily stole a glance to her left and found to her utmost surprise that both Mary and Diane were watching her intently as if they were expecting her to see something.

"Lily!"

"All right!"

Lily sighed and looked back into the crystal ball. This time her eyes and mind were slowly drawn into the whirling smoke. The crystal ball seemed to tug at her mind, opening her eyes wider. Lily didn't know what was happening, but in the next second everything but the swirlling smoky depths had drifted away and Lily Evans was suddenly swept into the cloudy waters.

It was like the ocean, one moment you were standing there and the next instant you were fighting against the undertow. At first she fought against the strange new presence in her mind. But it held her down, making it more and more difficult for her to breath. She gave up. Lily stopped struggling, and the smoke cleared.

It was like her dream, foggy at first and then slowly coming into focus. But once again it was the play, the play of the life of Lily Evans...

_The woman, the same twenty year old green eyed woman that had haunted her dreams for the past year, was standing in a doorway. It was night but her dark form was illuminated by the moon light. She crept down the hall breathing shakily, her emerald eyes darting at the slightest sound. The shadow of fear had only grown since the last time Lily Evans had met her future self. She looked even older and more tired than the last time. The woman tip toed toward a door, silently pushing it open. _

For a long moment she just stood there, allowing her eyes to adjust. A tiny crib stood in the corner of the room and there was a soft whimpering noise coming from it. Lily Potter crossed the room coming to stand at the edge of the crib. She stared down at the baby in the crib. The panic and shadows of fear left her face instantly. She leaned down and lifted the child from the crib, gathering him in her arms.

"Shh Harry, I'm here now."

The child stopped. From beneath the messy black hair, two almond shaped green eyes opened. The infant smiled and gurgled happily as Lily caught his tiny fist in her hand.

A smile crossed her face, and the effect that it brought to her eyes and features was truly amazing. It was as if the sun had suddenly rose. The years were shed, as the dark shadows were chased away and she looked like the young mother that she actually was.

"Hush." She whispered kissing his forehead and rocking him gently in her arms.

Harry's lids grew heavy and he yawned. He fell asleep in her arms, content and peaceful. Lily held her son close to her, un willing to let go. But she reluctantly laid him down gently in his crib tucking the blankets in around him.

"Lily." A hoarse voice whispered. He had come in unnoticed, his arms circling around her waist. Lily leaned into him, closing her eyes for a brief moment before she once again opened them to stare at her son.

"Isn't he beautiful?" She whispered, her green eyes sparkling with happiness and love.

"Yes, I didn't think I could love anyone as much as I love you Lily but..." James whispered trailing off.

"I know, we've only known him for a year and already I feel like he's a part of me." She stopped.

"No, he's everything to me." She whispered.

James nodded, turning his wife gently around to face him. She tilted her head as he leaned down to meet his lips.

"I love you and I love Harry."

Lily merely smiled, a smile that spoke far louder than words.

"We better let Harry sleep." Lily whispered in his ear.

James nodded and kissed his son goodnight before taking his wife by the hand and leading her from the room.

_Lily and him parted, going back to the bedroom that they shared. _

As Lily climbed into their bed she suddenly paused, quivering. An odd sort of shiver passed through her body.

"James, I better go check and see if I left the light on downstairs." She said clambering out of bed.

James pushed her back down gently.

"Relax I'll go check." He left the room.

But Lily couldn't relax. She was breaking out in a cold sweat, her heart thudding wildly in her chest. She threw back the covers and ran out into the hallway. James met her at the top of the steps.

The look in his eyes, a mixture of fear, panic, and terror explained everything. Lily let out a strangled cry, racing back to her room to grab her wand, but James stopped her, grabbing her by the arms. He pressed his lips firmly to hers. She pulled back and in the same minute told her to get Harry and run.

"I'll hold him off!"

Lily would have gladly joined James, as he ran downstairs to fight the murderer of so many great wizards and witches, several of whom had been her closest friends. But Harry needed to get out, she had to save Harry.

She spun around, running down the hall, throwing the door open.

"Harry!"

She picked up the crying child, brushing the hair that he had inherited from his father away from his delicate forehead. The emerald eyes had filled with tears, but the cries had stopped.

"I'm not going to let him hurt you." She promised.

The smoke was clouding over, but Lily had covered her eyes anyway. The door to the room had burst open, and the screams that followed would forever haunt her dreams.

**A/N: This one's a long one. Probably pointless, but this might be the closest I get to showing what happens in their life after Hogwarts at least in this story. **

**Sweet Sarcasm: **Feel free! I doubt you'd plagiarize or at least I sincerely hope that you wouldn't. Yeah I always think of Aladdin for some reason, I know, silly, but that's where I first heard the line and I can never get that image out of my head. So usually I'm laughing as I write it. I'll tell you if I do get one! Thanks for reviewing!

**Wudnulike2know: **I liked the scene at the beginning too, it was two clichés thrown together but I couldn't resist using it. Thanks for reviewing!

**X.Miss.Padfoot.X: **That's for me alone to know. Not telling! You won't die yet because I'm updating, see I'm such a nice person. Thanks for reviewing!

**LCH8292: **Rereading it, I do it all the time, but then again I go through and curse and try to fix all my grammatical errors and delete the stupid, silly scenes that I wrote during a sugar high, though the majority of the time I'm lazy and leave it as is. Thanks for reviewing and I'll be adding more soon!

**TajM: **It comes a lot faster than you expect! Everything goes by in the blink of an eye. This is my stress reliever, my therapy, so yeah a lot of scenes that people can relate to turn up in my stories. Peter and his _crush_ will make another appearance in a later chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

**Brighton baby: **Thanks for reviewing, I'll post A.S.A.P!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **You hate Jenn? I have mixed feelings to be honest with you, which is making the ending so difficult to write. Thanks for reviewing!

**Chikichiki: **This baby's going to be pushing 40 chapters! Hard to believe, I thought I'd only make it to 20 and then I found out how much I'd written. Thanks for reviewing!

**Animerocksjapanrocks: **Thank, I'm glad you like it. I'll be updating A.S.A.P!

**Nina12321: **I had to update fast, HBP's coming out and I still have more than 6 chapters to go! This chapter's a lot bigger than the last one, so enjoy! Thanks for reviewing!

**Hpluvas: **My friend and I got in an argument over the p's and s's in p.s's I still don't know what's right. Yeah I know the memory was huge, I get carried away sometimes. The truth potion is the plan, it will be put into action in the next chapter. Me? I wrote that chapter over a year ago, so I'm not really sure. Knowing me, I probably was realizing it for the first time. Thanks for reviewing those three chapters!


	33. Mission Impossible

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Summary: _Lily has a strange dream and perhaps some major issues with commitment, or maybe she's just a seer. She has a flash back and rediscovers a photograph that holds a deadly secret. Professor Coincidence decides to actually…teach something. Lily gets her first look at a crystal ball, Diane's conceited, Taylor wants answers, and Mary's in a very bad mood. Lily sees something in the crystal ball, but it can't be her future or can it?_**

**Chapter 33: Mission Impossible**

It was as if an electric shock had gone through her body. Her mind was released. Lily came to the surface, regaining control of her thoughts. Slowly her vision refocused uncovering the crystal ball, the table she was sitting at with her three friends and the stuffy Divination classroom.

Though the room had come back into focus, her mind was still reeling with questions trying to comprehend what she had saw and what exactly had just happened.

"Can you hear me Lily?" A familiar voice asked quietly.

Lily blinked.

"Yes."

She pulled her eyes away from the crystal ball with great difficulty, allowing them to rest on her three friends, all of whom looked rather worried.

"You're okay?" Diane asked with concern.

Lily nodded numbly. Physically she was fine, but emotionally, mentally, she wasn't so sure. That was the future she had just seen, dreams she could deny, but a crystal ball…

"I thought you had lost it." Diane continued, relief flooding her face. "You just sat there staring at the stupid crystal ball and your eyes, they just kind of rolled over into the back of your head. It was scary, Lily. It was like you were possessed." Diane would have probably gone on in her panicked manner, but Mary calmly intervened.

"Did you see something?" She asked softly.

Lily looked at Mary and for the first time she saw that there was no trace of surprise or shock in her face. In fact Lily could have sworn she saw the traces of a smug look, as if she were about to exclaim "I told you so."

"Yes I saw something." Lily admitted.

"What did you see?" Mary asked hesitantly. Diane and Taylor were watching her as well, eagerly awaiting her reply.

Lily's stomach churned unpleasantly. She couldn't lie, but she didn't have to tell them the whole truth. Reluctantly she leaned forward, lowering her voice but avoiding their eyes.

"I married James Potter."

"Oooohh!"

"I knew it!"

"So what exactly was going on in your vision?"

"How far into the future was it?"

"Did I look good?"

"Did I marry Jeff?"

"Don't tell me I'm still with Blacky!"

"Were there some little James and Lilies running around?"

"SOD OFF!" Lily growled.

She hid her face in her arms, pretending to be blushing. Above her they continued to tease, chatter and giggle while Lily tried to block them out. She concentrated on her reeling mind, trying to sort out her thoughts. She was a, what had the Professor called it, a cheer, no a seer. They were people that could see into the future. She realized almost immediately after coming out of her vision, that seeing something in a crystal ball, that clearly, could only mean one thing, she was a seer. And seers were known for having prophetic dreams, which could only mean one thing…

"No." Lily moaned not wanting to believe the truth.

"Calm down Lily, there's no way we're going to let Sirius be the godfather."

"Huh?" Lily sat up.

"We've decided that I'm going to be the godmother of your first child." Diane announced.

"No, I am!" Mary insisted.

"I call second!" Taylor chirped.

"STOP IT!" Lily shouted.

That shut them up… and the rest of the class as well.

"Sorry." Lily muttered sinking into her seat.

A minute or so later the chatter had returned to its usual level and the red color had left Lily's cheeks. Taylor, thinking Lily was mad at her, wandered off to talk to her Ravenclaw friends, leaving Lily a perfect opportunity to talk to Diane and Mary in private.

"We need to talk." She said lowering her voice so that the other tables, that were entirely too close for her liking, couldn't overhear her.

"She said _we need to talk_." Mary mimicked in a mock serious voice.

"Are you breaking up with us? Oh Lily, how could you do this to us?" Diane said dramatically, wiping away false tears from her eyes.

"How you can be silly at a time like this?" Lily hissed.

That got their attention. Mary and Diane leaned forward, their ears perking up, eyes shining with curiosity.

"Is it about your vision?" Mary asked in a low whisper.

Lily fidgeted, but managed to keep a blank expression on her face.

"Listen to me, we need to get the truth potion, today."

"Today? But Lily I thought it wasn't going to be done until tomorrow?" Diane asked.

Lily shook her head. "They're nearly complete, and some groups have already finished, she keeps the other classes in her office and Amos told me that they were finished yesterday."

"So we're going to steal a bottle from her office?" Mary asked.

Lily nodded, that was precisely what they were going to do.

"Who's going to do it?" Diane asked immediately.

Lily was about to volunteer when Mary spoke up.

"I will."

Lily and Diane stared at her.

"Are you sure?" Lily asked.

"Of course." Mary nodded.

She glanced around the room to make sure no one was listening then lowered her voice.

"It had something to do with your vision Lily didn't it?" Mary asked softly.

Lily swallowed hard, not bothering to deny the fact. Diane and Mary exchanged a terrified glance.

"What exactly did you see?" Diane squeaked fearing the worst.

"It doesn't matter." Lily whispered. "I saw enough to warn me that there's someone close to us who's a traitor. If we don't stop them now..." Lily trailed off, and both Mary and Diane involuntarily flinched.

"What happenened Lily?" But Diane must have seen the look in Lily's eyes because suddenly she changed her question. "Who died?"

"I don't know. If I knew then don't you think I would know who the murderer was as well." Lily growled. She was partly lying and they knew it, but they decided not to ask anymore questions.

"Class is going to be over in ten minutes. If I leave now, I can slip in and grab the potion before the Professor arrives and class begins." Mary said hurriedly switching the topic.

"It should be in her office, shouldn't take more then a couple of minutes. It's getting past her that's the tricky part." Lily murmured.

"I don't think I'll have a problem." Mary grinned confidently.

Mary was very quiet on her feet, and was known for her unusual ability to sneak up on people. Even the Marauders couldn't figure out how she did it after years of knowing her. Lily realized that she was just the person who could slip past the Professor and in and out of the office unnoticed.

"You better go now." Lily said glancing at her watch.

Mary nodded and got to her feet gathering up her books.

"Be careful." Diane whispered.

"I'll meet you in Potions." Mary said to them. Then she slipped out of the room, without a sound. No one but Diane and Lily noticed her body disappear through the trap door a moment later.

"I hope she doesn't get caught." Lily muttered, nervously wringing her hands together.

"Oh she'll be okay, you know Mary. Always the one to scare the living daylights out of you when you least expect it." Diane chuckled.

Lily was not comforted by this observation. She had a very bad feeling about this. It was a feeling that seemed only to have grown since the moment she realized there was a traitor among them.

But what could go wrong? She wondered.

The answer seemed to come to her, like the whisper of a breeze...

_Everything_.

* * *

Mary jumped down, landing silently on her feet. She didn't have much time, she had to work fast.

The Potion classes were held in the heart of the dungeons, on the opposite side of the school. Ordinarily it would take a student close to ten minutes (ten minutes that she simply couldn't spare) to get to the classroom. Luckily Mary knew the Marauders.

She turned left and hurried toward a colorful tapestry of Merlin. Lifting it up, she slid through the narrow opening stepping into the shadows. There was a dark stairway before her that led straight into the dungeons. Mary lit her wand and hurriedly made her way down the flight of steps.

She happened to glance at her watch.

_8 minutes until class started._

The staircase ended and Mary pushed aside the portrait, stepping into the cold and dark corridors of the dungeons. She climbed up another staircase, turned right and came to a halt outside of Professor Tomorrow's classroom.

Cautiously she peeked into the classroom. Her eyes scanned the room but she found to her relief that it was empty. Even so she was careful upon entering. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and for some reason she was extremely nervous. The sound of her footsteps and heart were so loud that Mary swore they were echoing through the room.

"Get a hold of yourself Mary." She told herself walking toward the office.

Suddenly Mary spun around. She thought she heard something move. It sounded like someone else was in the room. No it was just her imagination, her mind playing tricks on her.

She reached out with a trembling hand, seizing the doorknob, then letting go as if it were on fire.

Was that footsteps she heard coming down the hallway?

"It's just your mind playing tricks on you."

She grabbed the doorknob and turned it, bravely entering the office. Softly she closed the door behind her.

_6 minutes left._

Mary searched the room with her eyes, turning to look at the many shelves, towering over her, filled with nothing but Potions. There were so many of them, it could take her ages to go through them! A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She didn't have time for this! Her eyes scanned the shelves, then came to rest on the desk that was cluttered with broken quills and papers. She walked over to it, remembering what Lily had said about the other class finishing yesterday. If she was lucky she might find...

Sure enough she found that one of the drawers had been opened too hastily. A bottle had been carelessly forgotten. Mary grinned, picking up the tiny bottle, holding it up to look at the transparent liquid inside. It was amazing how much hope was stored in a simple potion. A couple of drops of this and Jenn would be able to tell them exactly who the traitor was and they would be able to inform Professor Dumbledore. And after that, everything would be okay.

Giving it to Jenn would be easy, it was getting it that was difficult. And Mary had already taken care of that with three minutes left to spare.

**Click.**

Mary glanced up, wondering where the sound had come from. It didn't matter, she was on her way out. She reached for the doorknob...

...only to find that it wouldn't budge.

She twisted it, shook it furiously and then took out her wand and tapped it with a soft whisper of a few charms. Still the doorknob wasn't yielding. A chill ran down her spine as she realized the horrific truth...someone had intentionally locked her in.

"No."

Mary rattled the doorknob again, but it was no use. Panic seized her, squeezing her chest painfully as the possibilities and consequences thundered through her mind.

Who would lock her in? Perhaps someone did it as a joke, though she didn't find it even remotely funny. Maybe a filthy Slytherin wanting her to get caught had sent the spell. Whoever it was had most likely seen her go into the office and known that she was up to no good. It could have been Professor Tomorrow.

Mary slumped against the door, desperately tapping the doorknob with her wand again. Professor Tomorrow was going to find her in the office and she was going to be doomed. Forget detentions, how were they supposed to get their hands on another truth potion when time was so precious? Mary glanced at her watch wondering how much time she had until judgment day.

_Less then two minutes._

Mary said a very bad word giving the door a kick that only succeeded in causing her pain. She moaned rubbing her aching foot as the pain shot through her leg.

Seconds were ticking away, at any moment Professor Tomorrow was going to arrive, at any moment...

**Click. **

The door gave way and Mary stumbled into the classroom cursing under her breath. She looked up expecting to find Professor Tomorrow or her accuser, but she found no one. That's what scared her. Because she could have sworn she heard something. Shakily she walked forward with her wand out in one hand and the potion clutched tightly in the other.

Barely a minute until class and no one was here yet. Not even Professor Tomorrow? Perhaps she had imagined the whole door thing, the noises too had probably just been her over reactive imagination...

Mary jumped, as her foot hit something. A wand rolled away from her, and she chased after it, bending to retrieve the creator of the offending noise. She stood up, examining the wand as she walked. How weird, who would leave a wand?

Splash.

She stopped dead in her tracks, looking down at the puddle pooling around her sneakers. Suddenly her heart stopped and her eyes took in the sight before her, widening to three times their usual size.

Then she opened her mouth and screamed.

**A/N: Quick Update, Quick Chapter. And I may or may not be going on vacation until the 6th book arrives. I'm so evil. **

**Chikichiki: **I have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds funny. Don't know what made me decide to write it all of a sudden. I never write their deaths though, I can't bring myself to kill them I guess. It's too sad. Thanks for reviewing!

**SweetSarcasm: **Yes I updated very quickly, and this is another quick update! Disgusting, that sums it up perfectly. It's worse than cheating. Yeah I haven't watched that movie in ages but I still remember that part and I love that one line! Yeah Lily's a seer, well in this story she is. I know unoriginal. Archiving? New site? I am so confused right now! Please help me out here, I have no idea what you're talking about! Thanks for reviewing!

**OTHCharmedHPFreak: **Don't count on Lily telling them. She barely understands it herself. Yeah, Lily's a seer in this story. I did update fast! Thanks for reviewing!

**Animerocksjapanrocks: **Thanks for reviewing rach and I have at least 3 or 4 more chapters to go!

**Sannuh: **Thanks for reviewing and don't worry I'm going to write plenty more!

**Nina12321: **Hmmm, Jenn didn't show up in this chapter but she is in the next one and has a HUGE role in one of the chapters coming up. Yeah Lily's a seer, in most stories she is, but I like the idea and I'm addicted to clichés. Thanks for reviewing!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **Creepy, definitely, but I can't answer that because I haven't finished writing that chapter yet… I don't do well with decisions, I want to write it both ways! Thanks for reviewing Erin!

**HarryluvsMoaningMyrtle: **Thanks for reviewing and I did update soon again! This is like three times in one week!

**TrueLove53: **I love long reviews but I'm just happy you left a review! Thank you! I updated quickly, see!

**Prongs76: **Aw thanks. I'm glad you found it too, I'm addicted to reviews. I'm sorry I updated a day too late. Yeah Lily's always mad at James because it's canon now, but sometimes it gets boring reading the same thing over and over again. I wrote this before OotP so that's probably why it's the other way around. I still have no idea where the idea for this story came from but I love it too, I just wish I had done a better job grammatically and all that. Thanks for reviewing!

**Chrissy8887779999: **Yep, Lily's a seer. It happens a lot in L/J stories but I couldn't help myself, I needed to throw in at least one more cliché before the story was over. Thanks for reviewing!

**X.MissPadfoot.X: **So you're another one… To be honest with you, I'm not completely sure if you should or not. I got another idea today, and the last couple of chapters are taking so long to write because I'm not sure what to do with certain characters. Thanks for reviewing!


	34. Shadows

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Chapter 34: Shadows**

"I hate Potions." Taylor growled as she struggled to keep up with Mary and Diane. "Why are you two in such a rush?" She asked panting.

"We're not in a rush." Diane said innocently. They deliberately slowed down to prove this fact, though they had to restrain themselves from running.

"Hey, wait up!" A familiar voice called.

The three girls turned around to find Jenn coming toward them. Upon closer observation she looked almost as nervous as Lily and Diane. The girl raised her eyes to Diane and Lily, and lost some of the color in her face. It was as if she knew.

Taylor was completely oblivious to this and continued to chatter, mostly to herself.

"Maybe she'll be sick or something." She said hopefully. "Like maybe she caught some really bad virus, or she drank the wrong potion or something."

"Perhaps she died." Jenn quipped.

They couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't get your hopes up." Diane said with a slight grin.

Lily had remained silent, only vaguely aware of the fact that they were talking beside her. Her stomach had twisted into a painful knot, and her hands were practically shaking because her nerves were so bad. What if something went wrong?

"Relax." Diane whispered.

"I can't." Lily said stealing a glance at Jenn who was giggling with Taylor about something Jeff had done.

"Lily it's going to be - Hey what's going on?"

Diane had nearly stopped when she saw the sight in front of her. Lily now saw why. The door to the classroom was shut for the first time in all her years that she had attended Hogwarts. Instead all of the students were milling about outside of the classroom.

"Oh no." Lily moaned. This was not looking good, not looking good at all.

She walked over to the group, pushing a few students out of her way. Diane was right behind her, giving Narcissa an unnecessary shove.

"OW!" Narcissa cried out in obviously feigned pain.

"Oops!" Diane giggled.

Lily jostled past the students until she reached the front. James, Sirius and Remus were leaning against the wall, looking bored, but they instantly came to life when they saw the girls.

"Is the door locked?" Lily asked, before they could say anything.

"Yeah, isn't it weird? I never even knew there was a door, it's always been open." James replied, looking a little puzzled.

"Did you even try opening it?" Diane asked them.

"Well no, but no one's really in a rush to get to Tomorrow's class. It's not exactly the most interesting of classes." Sirius answered.

Remus though was looking past them, peering over the heads of the other students. Diane and Lily both reached for the doorknob, rattling it a few times, only to find that it was indeed locked.

"Where's Mary?" Remus asked suddenly.

James and Sirius shrugged, Lily and Diane pretended that they hadn't heard him.

"Do you think that she did this?" Diane asked in a low whisper.

Lily bit down hard on her lip, nearly drawing blood. She rattled the doorknob again, wondering whether or not Mary would do such a thing. Wouldn't it be obvious if she locked the door? But maybe if she had trouble finding it...

"Let's just open it, she has to be done by now." Lily whispered.

Diane nodded and took her wand out of her pocket as Lily did the same.

"Where's Mary?" Remus asked again in a panicked voice.

Again he was ignored, only met with shrugs from James and Sirius.

"On three." Lily whispered to Diane.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Alohamora!" Their voices said together. The doorknob clicked and this time Lily and Diane were allowed access.

Lily rushed in, glancing around wildly.

"I don't see-"

Lily stopped so suddenly that Diane collided with her.

"Lily what-"

But then she saw it too and her breath was taken away from her.

There was a pool of water starting at their feet. It was coming from Professor Tomorrow's desk where a pile of wet robes lay half exposed. It wasn't the Professor's laundrey they were looking at. It was a body, soaked in water, covered and surrounded by shards of glass and ... blood.

Even from the spot where she and Lily were they could tell it was Professor Tomorrow's blood.

Diane's stomach churned, but couldn't move from the spot. She urged herself to focus on the water, but it was starting to turn a slight shade of red as well.

Vaguely she heard Lily leave her side and start running, splashing through the water, the water that was turning a shade of... she gasped as her head started spinning.

Flashs of her parent's bodies flooded her mind. Their eyes had still been open, only they were so still and so lifeless. It was in the unnatural way they had fallen, the stiffness and awkwardness when she tried to move their limbs. She could still remember...

The room was spinning too much. She couldn't breathe. A wave of nausea swept through her, but she couldn't breathe and couldn't throw up either. She bent over swaying on the spot, catching a reflection of someone in the turbid waters below her.

"You?" She squeaked pulling her head up painfully.

Their eyes met, and Diane simply couldn't believe it. It was this more then anything, the fact that it was her standing there that sent her over the edge. One second she was there and the next, everything was black.

* * *

Lily stared down at Professor Tomorrow's body. Her eyes were still open in surprise. Shock was written all over her face. If she would just move a bit, or breathe, or even blink, she would be alive.

But she didn't move. She never would move again. She was dead.

Lily had seen a body once, only once before. But it hadn't been this gruesome. Shards of glass were all over the place, in her flesh, on the floor, everywhere. It was as if someone had taken a glass bottle filled with water and thrown it at her. Why?

Behind her Diane made a noise, a weak squeak that sounded like a question. It was something in her tone that made Lily turn away from the body.

Diane's eyes were locked onto something, that Lily couldn't see. She was swaying back and forth, an unusual shade of white, then suddenly she fell backwards. Sirius just barely caught her.

Lily whipped around to see what Diane had been looking at, and almost screamed. Mary had been standing RIGHT behind her the entire time, wand out and eyes wide as if she were dead.

"Mary!"

Lily touched her arm, the arm that was out holding her wand. Mary jumped out of her skin, startled so badly that she dropped everything that she had been holding. Lily heard two wands clatter to the floor. Then she watched in slow motion as the tiny bottle fell, smashing on the cement floor. The clear liquid snaked toward her foot.

Suddenly everything clicked.

It wasn't water it was the Truth Potion.

She glanced up at Mary, standing there with a hand over her mouth, once again frozen. Her eyes were locked on the body.

It was Mary who had let the Truth Potion break. It was Mary who had been in the classroom staring at the body when Diane and Lily had walked in, it was Mary who had volunteered to go...

"MURDERER!" A voice shouted.

...and it was Mary who had her wand as well as Professor Tomorrow's wand, out when she walked in.

Lily stumbled back a step. Her mind was spinning weaving together the fragments of her thoughts. Their professor was dead, every single bottle of the Truth Potion was ruined, and Mary was standing there, just staring at the body with the wand, the Professor's wand.

Oh God.

She suppressed a gasp, forcing herself to remain calm. Never taking her eyes off of Mary she carefully backed up reaching her arms out blindly behind her, finally connecting with James's arm. His arms went around her, pulling her body toward his. A familiar sense of security, warmth and comfort lulled her panicked mind, and slowly she calmed down, her thoughts becoming clearer.

The classroom was silent, all eyes were upon Mary or the body of their hated Professor. Even the accuser had ceased to speak, quietly watching her with a twisted scowl. Lily and James clung to each other, Sirius was kneeling on the ground with an unconcious Diane in his arms, frozen with fear as he looked at Mary. Only Remus dared to take the first hesitant step toward breaking the deadly silence.

"Mary?"

His voice awakened her, just as Lily had when she had touched her arm. She looked up and found Remus, setting her dark sorrowful eyes upon him. Remus paused then started to walk toward her, as if fearing that if he walked too quickly she might open fire or flee.

"You murdered her!" A Slytherin by the name of Snape spat.

Mary's head snapped up in the direction of the Slytherin who had spoken the harsh words.

"You're a filthy, heartless Murderer!" Her Slytherin accuser shouted.

Mary's eyes darted to her second accuser then she turned her head and glanced down at the body at her feet. After examining her situation for a moment she suddenly came to herself. The calming spell that had fell upon her and the rest of the room was broken as she spoke.

"I'm not a murderer!" She protested. Her voice cut through the tension filled air like a knife.

Their expressions remained blank, no one knew what to consider the truth. Emotions rushed to the surface as Mary realized that no one believed her.

"No! I didn't murder her! She was like this when I came in, I swear!" Sweat broke out on her forehead and she took a step forward, still begging them to hear the truth.

Everyone winced, involuntarily stepping backwards as Mary came toward them. She stopped when she saw what was happening, her own friends were watching her with caution as if she were a bomb that might go off at any second. Tears formed in her eyes, and she once again tried to explain what had really happened.

"I came in here and she was like this. I found her like this, already dead when I came in. It's the truth!"

"A likely story." Snape snarled.

"No listen to me! Please! Someone else murdered her and they could be still here! Please you have to listen to me!" Mary was overcome by tears. Her vision was blurred and blinded by the watery curtain. Desperately she tried to speak but the lump had risen in her throat preventing her from being able to do this.

She looked at Lily and James clinging to each other, then Sirius holding Diane against his chest, and finally Remus who stood in front of everyone else, unable to take another step forward no matter how hard he tried.

"Please, you have to believe me." She gasped choking on her tears. Standing was no longer an option, Mary slid down falling onto the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and tried to stop crying. Why couldn't they believe her?

She was only vaguely aware of the noise once again rising in the room, and someone gently taking her by the arm. A familiar face swam into view, as a skinny aging hand gingerly pulled her to her feet.

"I didn't do it." She sobbed.

He nodded, his arm encircling her shoulders.

"Let's take a walk up to my office and you can tell me what happened." He said gently.

"I didn't murder her." Mary repeated dully.

"I know." He said.

He steered her towards his office. They got on a moving staircase and walked into a spacious office that she had been in only a few times before. He led her to a chair in front of his desk then sat down in a chair opposite hers. A box of tissues was handed to her, and Mary gratefully accepted it.

Gradually she calmed down and looked up at the man that had led her away from the classroom. She recognized him immediately. That was why of course she was sitting in the Headmaster's office.

"Professor Dumbledore."

"Hello Mary." He said nodding.

"They think I murdered her. Everyone thinks I did. But I didn't, I swear on Merlin's grave that I didn't. Please listen to me!" She exclaimed, her voice was trembling with emotion and the tears that might break loose again.

Professor Dumbledore raised a hand.

"Calm down, that's what I intend on doing."

Mary blew her nose, dashing the tears from her eyes. She was still a wreck but at least she was no longer crying.

The Professor leaned forward, fixing his normally twinkling blue eyes on hers. But the spark had gone out, and even though his voice was calming and gentle, uncertainty and an unusual graveness accompanied every word he spoke.

"Now when you're ready, I want you to tell me what happened today."

Mary sat back in her chair, closing her eyes for a second. She took a deep breath and opened them focusing on the Professor.

"I'm ready."

"Then please begin."

"I went down to the Potion's classroom early..." Mary bit her lip wondering if she should tell Professor Dumbledore about Jenn. Deciding against it, she continued. "because I needed some help on the Truth Potion. It was empty, and I looked around for the Professor but she wasn't there. I went into her office, and the door locked behind me. I tried to open it but it would budge even when I used a charm. And then all of sudden it just opened."

Mary paused wondering if the Professor thought she was making any of this up or was lying. He waited patiently for her to continue.

"So the door opened, and I walked back into the classroom and it was empty. I thought I heard something but I saw no one. I kept walking and I found a wand on the ground, I picked it up and walked over to the professor's desk. And that's when I saw her, lying on the ground." Mary stopped abruptly remembering exactly how the body had looked. She had never seen anyone dead before, it was an image that would probably remain with her for the rest of her life.

"Is that all Mary?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

She hesitated.

_Is that all?_

The words echoed in her head.

_No, that's not all. Tell him! _

But what it was that she had to tell him she couldn't remember. It was as if her mind had developed a block. Panic swept through her and her mind screamed for her to tell him, but Mary couldn't think straight. Her mind went blank, it was useless. She knew she was going to regret it later, but what choice did she have?

"Yes that's all." She replied meeting the Professor's eyes.

He stared at her as if able to read her like the page in a book. Then he nodded, breaking their gaze and turning away.

"You may go."

Mary got up from her chair and started for the door. When her hand touched the door, she turned around, hesitating once more.

"Is there something else you want to tell me Mary?" He asked gently as if knowing...

"No."

She left, closing the door behind her. Her last chance, gone.

She was unaware of how much she would regret it later on. Imagine how many lives she could have spared...

* * *

"Professor Tomorrow's dead?"

"NO WAY!" Eddie Bones exclaimed.

"That would be the greatest day of my life. Too bad it would only happen in my dreams..." Arnold Lovegood sighed wistfully and closed his eyes as if dreaming about the day.

"I'm serious!" Alice Arrow insisted.

"Ha ha, very funny. You're just pulling our legs because I actually studied for once." Amos Diggory chuckled.

"No really, I'm not kidding!" Alice sighed seeing that the others clearly didn't believe her.

"Jeff! Come over here!" She called, spotting a familiar face.

Jeff Prewett sighed and walked over to the table where Alice and her friends were.

"Set her straight Jeff, she's been hanging around the Herbology classroom for way too long. I think some of the "herbs" may have gotten to her." Amos Diggory said.

"She's telling the truth." Jeff said nodding at Alice.

"THANK YOU! SEE I WAS teling the TRUTH!" Alice exclaimed.

"No way! There's just no friggin way!" Eddie said shaking his head.

"It's the truth. My girlfriend was there when it happened." Jeff said taking a seat at the table.

"Taylor was there? Now you're both crazy! And I suppose all the other Gryffindors were there as well!"

"Actually..." Alice started.

"The Slytherins were there as well." Jeff said.

"And I suppose you think we would all fall for this big fat joke of yours. I bet you all thought it would be a real riot." Eddie continued.

"I believe that they're telling the truth!" Arnold Lovegood said opening his eyes for once.

The others minus Jeff and Alice gave him a weird look.

"You'll believe anything." A blonde haired Ravenclaw girl said smiling at him.

"Not everything" He protested. "You just don't understand that there really is such thing as a cru-"

"Shut up Arnold!" Everyone chorused except for the Ravenclaw girl who merely giggled.

"Let's say that Jeff and Alice are telling the truth." Amos started but Alice interrupted him.

"Ask any of the Gryffindors or Slytherins they'll tell you the same thing. Didn't you wonder why all of our classes have been canceled today?" Alice asked them. Apparently they hadn't, they'd been too happy to care.

"No way. There's just no way in-"

"I said if it's true," Amos interrupted giving Eddie a glare. He held a lot of respect for both Alice and Jeff and knew they wouldn't lie.

"Let's say it is true. What exactly happened? Did she die of a heart attack or did a killer sheep eat her alive?" He asked curious.

Alice and Jeff exchanged a quick look before Alice replied.

"She was murdered."

Silence.

"No way!"

"Shut up Eddie."

"No really what happened?" Amos asked.

"It's the truth." Jeff repeated.

There was silence once more as each of them let this new information sink into their head.

"Murdered?" One girl whispered.

Jeff and Alice nodded gravely.

The girl grabbed onto Amos's arm, and he slung an arm around her shoulder.

"But who would want to murder her?" The blonde Ravenclaw girl asked thoughtfully.

She glanced around at the others. They were shifting in their seats, fidgeting as their eyes darted guiltily away from hers. Eddie began to whistle innocently. Amos was staring at his fingernails. Even Arnold was pretending to daydream again.

"That was a stupid question, never mind." She muttered.

"Actually they have a suspect." Alice said quietly.

"My savior!" Eddie joked.

"It's not funny Eddie, she could go to Azkaban." Alice frowned.

The atmosphere became solemn, as they realized that this was a murder they were talking about, not one of the Marauder's famous pranks.

"Who is it?" Amos asked softly.

Alice stared at something on the table, beside her Jeff shifted uncomfortably. Finally he dared to look up, and sighed sadly.

"It was Mary Mckinnon."

* * *

Mary crept into the Common Room, glad to see that it was empty. Perfect timing on her part since everyone was in the Great Hall eating. She didn't dare stay in the Common Room, not if there was even the slightest chance that someone might return early. Instead she started up the steps and headed for the Seventh Year Girl's Dormitories.

She opened the door and closed it behind her. For a minute or two she just stood there, facing the door, resting her forehead against it. Then slowly she turned and collapsed upon her bed.

Lying on her back she stared up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what happened only a few hours ago.

It all happened so fast. One second all of their troubles had been gone and happiness had been within reach and in the next, everything had shattered, her world had fallen apart. She could still see the Potion dropping from her hand, falling upon the floor and shattering. It became a part of the rest of the mess, that surrounded the lifeless Professor, the one that she was accused of murdering.

Mary shut her eyes wishing she could turn back time.

"Anywhere but here." She whispered.

But she knew the truth now. Just as they would all come to realize it one day. Everything had been stripped from the world she knew, and now the cruel truth was exposed.

They lived in a world of shadows that grew darker with each hour.

The sun wouldn't rise in their lifetime.

**A/N: I have no time right now. Sorry. I'll be back again on the 12th, perhaps the 11rth, but I wanted to get this out quickly since I'm home for an hour. Thanks chikichiki, Prongs76, J.E.A.R.K.Potter, OTHCharmedHPFreak, SweetSarcasm_( I will when I get back again! )_, animerocksjapanrocks, J Black, -Lily Evans 4 Life – (_ Don't hate me, keep reading! ), _truffletruffle01, Harry and Ginny 4eva, Chrissy8887779999, HarryluvsMoaningMyrtle and LMDGlUVR4EVA for reviewing! I will reply next time when I have more time. **


	35. The Setting Sun

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Summary: _Mary's mission was to find a bottle of Truth Potion to use on Jenn before Lily's visions start coming true. What she found instead was the body of their Potion's Mistress, Professor Tomorrow. Now not only is the Truth Potion lost, but Mary's accused of this hated professor's murder. _**

**Chapter 35: The Setting Sun**

The sun was setting slowly in the blue summer sky. Hours had passed since the Potions "accident" but the Gryffindors were still no closer to finding the answer then they had been when they first sat down.

"First of all we have to figure out if she did or did not murder her..." Taylor said.

"Oh great idea, we'll just walk up to her and say Mary did you murder Professor Tomorrow? And I'm sure she's going to tell us if she did." Diane said sarcastically.

"It won't work." Lily said shaking her head.

"It didn't take a genius to figure that one out." Remus muttered darkly.

"Well what other choice do we have?" Taylor asked defensively, throwing up her hands.

"I don't know, but I can tell you right now Mary did not murder her." Remus said glaring at Taylor.

"How do you know? It might have been an accident. The Professor might have attacked her first!" Taylor continued.

"Mary IS NOT a murderer!" Remus leapt to his feet breathing heavily but slowly sat back down.

Lily sighed and stared out the window watching as the sun made its descent. She was sitting with James, Sirius, Remus, Diane, Taylor and Jenn. They were trying to figure out what to do about Mary. What they needed were answers, and even if they did confront Mary... would she be able to help them at all?

Jenn stressed the fact that Mary was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and probably knew no more then they did and Lily was beginning to think that she was right. Still they had to approach Mary but no one seemed to have come to an agreement on the best way to do this. Remus and Taylor had been at each other's throats since they had sat down hours ago. And the rest weren't helping matters much either. You'd think that seven of the most brilliant minds in Hogwarts would be able to come up with something, but nooo... there always were disagreements when something actually had to get done.

"Look, we have to say something to her." Jenn sighed breaking into Lily's thoughts.

"She's right we need to find out if she knows anything at all about it, even if she was or was not the murderer." James agreed.

"She wasn't!" Remus said immediately.

"What if she was under the Imperius curse? She wouldn't have a choice!" Taylor argued.

"Mary would fight it, she would never kill anyone!"

"It's impossible to fight it!"

"Jenn did." Remus whispered.

All eyes turned to look at Jenn. She pretended not to notice, staring idly out the window that Lily had been looking out of only moments before.

"It's obvious that we're not going to get anything done here." Diane said rubbing her forehead wearily.

"What are you talking about, I think this has been a very productive meeting." Sirius joked.

The others sighed or remained in silence. The sun was nearly gone. Only a slender bright halo remained, stretching it's weakened rays over the dark hills.

"We need to approach her."

"I think we agreed upon that James." Diane said rolling her eyes.

"I think one person should go and talk to her first." Jenn suggested.

"And who would that be?" Taylor asked as if expecting Jenn to volunteer. But Jenn busied herself with a textbook, flipping through the pages.

Lily turned to look at Remus along with everyone else.

"She's probably in the Girl's Dormitory and I can't go in there." Remus said seeing them looking his way.

"Diane."

But Diane had fainted at the sight of the body, and trembled at the thought of having to listen to the details again.

"Please." She whispered. "I can't go through that again." She said weakly, shuddering at the memory of their bodies.

Immediately all of them turned to look at Lily.

Lily sighed.

The last ray of sunlight had disappeared and the sun had sunk below the horizon. The library was now bathed in shadows. The darkness danced across their faces, mingling with the dim light that still remained in the steadily darkening sky. Their eyes were the only things that still remained bright and shining, and even the light in the weary fear filled orbs was dying.

"Okay, I'll talk to her."

* * *

The room was dark, night had finally fallen. Mary had barely noticed the absence of the light. It seemed as if everything had suddenly gone black the moment she saw the professor lying on the floor, and dropped the Truth Potion. It just didn't matter anymore.

She stared blankly up at the ceiling and for a precious minute or two her mind was completely void of all thoughts. It was bliss. But it all returned moments later as someone knocked softly on the door.

She didn't even bother to get up, or turn her head in the direction of the door. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now, so she remained silent.

"Mary?"

It was Lily who opened the door a moment later, letting in a crack of light before she quietly shut the door behind her. Mary heard her approach the bed that she was lying on, and saw the vague shadowy outlines of her figure come into view, hovering over her.

"You're awake." She observed softly.

Mary said nothing half hoping that she would go away while another part of her longed for her to stay. Lily hesitated. Then she sat down beside Mary causing the bed to creak.

For a long time they sat in silence. At least it felt like a long time. Lily struggled to choose the right words, but every time something came to mind she would swallow them or bite her tongue. They had been friends for so long, the only two people she knew better were Diane and James. But now, she didn't know what to say...

"How are you...feeling?" Lily choked out at last.

Mary laughed bitterly.

"Oh I'm feeling _wonderful_. I've never been better." She spat.

Lily winced hearing the sarcasm in her voice. That was a terrible move on her part. How stupid could she get?

"I'm sorry." Lily apologized.

Mary just scowled up at the ceiling. Once again they retreated into silence. Lily had no idea what to say. She couldn't very well come out and ask "So did you murder her?". But Mary took care of this for her, suspecting that the others had sent Lily.

"Everyone thinks I'm a murderer."

Lily nearly jumped at the sound of her voice.

"No." Lily protested, but she had hesitated too long. Her protest was too weak.

"They all think I did it. Don't lie to me Lily. I saw how they were all looking at me."

"Just the Slytherins." Lily bit her lip.

But Mary interrupted her, sitting up suddenly. She faced Lily for the first time, her brown eyes empty and gleaming in the darkness.

"I saw the fear in their eyes. At first I thought that they were just scared of death. But then I stepped toward them and they fled. And that's when I realized that they were afraid of me because _I_ was the murderer." A twisted scowl, halfway between a grin and a grimace crossed her face.

"Are you?" The words involuntarily slipped from her lips. Lily clapped a hand over her mouth almost instantly, regretting it as soon as Mary turned her face upon her.

"Do you really think I'm a murderer Lily?" She shouted.

Mary stood up so fast that she narrowly missed hitting the bed post..

"Does everyone think that I murdered her? After all these years you've known me do you really think I would take the life of someone? Do you really think that I would heartlessly kill someone without a second thought? Did you think that I dropped that potion on purpose, that I want all of us to die? Do you really think that I'm a traitor?"

Tears were sparkling in her eyes as she paused for breath. She stared down at her friend. Lily's green eyes were filled with tears as well. Slowly Lily shook her head.

"Mary I know you didn't murder her." Lily whispered.

"Then why are you here? Why are you questioning me then?" She asked in a weak voice.

Lily grabbed her by the arm forcing her to sit down beside her. Lily wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder attempting to comfort her.

"We're all just as confused as you are Mary. We just want to know what happened and see if we can make sense of this...before anyone else gets killed."

Mary nodded and sad sigh escaped her lips. It would mean reliving it all over again, but if it meant that they might be able to discover some answers and save another's life she would tell it a thousand times over.

She took a deep breath and started from the beginning again.

* * *

"I feel helpless. We need to do something about this." Diane said anxiously.

She stopped pacing and dropped down onto the sofa beside Sirius and James. Jenn and Taylor were off in a corner studying for their N.E.W.Ts and Remus had retreated to another corner "reading" a book. But the book was upside down and it was obvious that his thoughts were elsewhere.

"What do you plan on doing my lady?" Sirius asked raising an eyebrow. He and James were getting extremely bored just sitting around in silence.

"Well..." Diane glanced from one corner where Remus sat to the opposite corner where Taylor and Jenn sat.

Then suddenly it dawned on her. Why hadn't she thought about it before? She was so stupid.

"I have a job for you." She informed them.

"Oh no." James groaned.

"What kind of job?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"Oh you'll like this one, I promise you." She lowered her voice so that only they could hear. "It involves sneaking around after dark, stealing something, and a Marauders Map and an invisibility cloak might be required."

Immediately she had their full attention. She couldn't help but grin, she knew them too well.

Sirius scooted closer to her, dropping his arm casually around her shoulders. James was watching her intently with his ears perked up as well.

"So what is your plan exactly?" Sirius asked.

Diane glanced around, and whispered in his ear her plan. Sirius nodded, but he wasn't grinning anymore and neither was she.

"I think we can do that." He said to her.

"What?" James snapped, getting a little irritated at being left out.

"Hold on a second Prongs, just go up to the Dormitory, I'll meet you up there."

James complained loudly, but reluctantly left the two alone on the sofa, heading for the Boys Dormitory.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Diane asked biting her lip.

Sirius grinned shakily.

"I'm a Marauder Diane."

Diane surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his. Sirius barely had time to react before she pulled away.

"Be careful." She whispered giving his hand a last squeeze.

Sirius grabbed Remus's book. ("GIVE IT BACK! I WAS READING THAT!") And then ran up to the Boy's Dormitory with Remus hot on his heels.

James was waiting for them when they returned. Sirius threw the book onto Remus's bed and he dived for it, giving Sirius time to lock the door on him.

"Let me out!" Remus growled.

"Just hear me out." Sirius said calmly sitting on his own bed. "It's time you stopped moping around waiting for Mary and did something useful."

"Will you just tell us what we're doing?" James begged.

"I'm not going to pull some stupid prank on Snape. Can't you two be serious for once?" Remus exclaimed angrily.

"Remus, my name is Sirius."

"This isn't the time for jokes!" Remus shouted.

"Just let him speak!" James interrupted giving Remus a look.

Remus sat back on the bed, scowling at both of them.

"All right Padfoot what's the plan?" James asked eagerly.

"Diane wants us to go get another bottle of Truth Potion for Jenn." He announced importantly.

Remus and James stared at him blinking stupidly.

"There's no more left." James said sadly.

Remus silently looked at the floor.

"Prongs are you a Marauder?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." James replied glaring.

"Well then you must know our motto..."

"We don't have one." Remus interrupted, looking up suddenly.

"Yes we do." Sirius continued. "We never give up even when it seems like all hope has been lost. I say if we can't find another bottle of Truth Potion in this school then all hope is lost. But until we try we'll never know."

James and Remus sat staring at him with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" James asked tilting his head. "Cause I could've sworn you just gave us some kind of school spirit speech."

"I think Sirius has been watching way too much TV." Remus said simply rolling his eyes.

"What's a TV?" James asked curiously.

"We are not going to explain that to you again." Remus groaned.

"It's a box that shows pictures on it." Sirius began.

"Huh? Why is it a box?"

"James just shut up." Remus pleaded.

James glared but moved over to his trunk and started rummaging through it searching for the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility cloak.

"Remus are you coming?" Sirius asked.

"I suppose so." He grumbled, reluctantly dropping his book, knowing that they needed him.

"Take your time James." Sirius said sarcastically. "We have all night."

"I can't find it!"

"Haha, very funny James."

"I'm serious Sirius."

"No I'm-"

"Don't say it." Remus said holding up a hand.

"I can't find it! It's not here!" James started throwing stuff in all directions as his panic grew.

Dirty socks, joke stuff from Zonkos, old letters from his parents, homework assignments that were never turned in as well as Detentions that he never went too were thrown at poor Sirius and Remus. Sirius felt something sticking to his hair and reaching up discovered that it was not a clump of mud, but a chocolate bar from Honeydukes probably from their second year. Remus didn't even want to know what had hit him on the head. It looked like something was growing on it, and it had been a nasty shade of green.

They both took cover, waiting for James to finish emptying his trunk. It took ages. Sirius swore his hair had started turning grey. Remus was starting to doze off.

But finally the smoke cleared and the objects settled. They heard James kick his trunk, knocking it over with a loud bang. Sirius hesitated then poked his head out. James was now pacing back and forth, running a hand frantically through his hair. Every once in a while he would stop and kick his trunk again. His friends crept out of their hiding spots surveying what had been the battle field. Apparently James trunk had won though, because he was still kicking it, and the invisibility cloak as well as the Marauders Map were no where to be found.

Sirius coughed as he waved away some imaginary smoke with his hand.

"Well," He said glancing around him at the various objects that had been discarded from James trunk. "I guess we needed to clean out that trunk anyway. I'm glad we were able to get the spring cleaning out of the way." He brushed his hands off.

"It was seven years too late." Remus muttered as he kicked at a shirt that looked like it would fit a ten year old.

James was still pacing, ignoring them.

"It should be here. Where else could it be? I know that I had it here last, I remember putting it here the last time we went out..."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance then they looked around the room each thinking the same thing. How the hell had James fit all of that into his trunk?

"...I don't know where it could be!"

James ran a hand through his hair again. He surveyed the empty trunk with a frustrated look. Then he kicked it, smashing it against the door to the Boy's Dormitory.

Both the trunk and the door were unharmed. Remus and Sirius had only just got out of the way in time and were looking at James fearfully. The door trembled and then suddenly it creaked open.

Peter Pettigrew stood there, looking both puzzled and afraid.

James had started attacking the trunk again waving his wand at random objects.

"Don't ask." Remus said when Peter gave him a questioning look.

"Prongs just has a problem controlling his anger." Sirius explained to him. "He's taking it out on his trunk."

The three of them watched James give the trunk another kick and then grab his foot, whimpering in pain.

"He's losing unfortunately." Sirius said sadly.

Remus shook his head mournfully.

"James Potter, Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, prominent member of the elite Marauders, loses to a school trunk. And not just any school trunk... his own school trunk."

"Maybe it's the Dark Lord's new weapon, school trunks." Sirius wondered aloud.

Peter went completely pale as a strangled sort of nervous laugh escaped his throat. Remus chuckled, but his laughter soon died away as he glanced at Peter and suddenly thought of the Professor lying on the floor lifeless, Mary sitting on the floor begging them to believe her, Diane crying as Sirius held onto her, trying to forget the sight of her parent's lifeless bodies and finally Jenn staring out the window perhaps remembering her own tormentor who was still at large.

"That's not funny. That's not funny at all." Remus said sobering.

Sirius got the point and shut up.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Peter whispered looking as if he were going to be sick.

He ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. A hushed silence had fallen over the room as James had sat down on his trunk (still completely unharmed) apparently surrendering.

The silence was broken only when Peter returned.

"Why did James' trunk explode?" He asked hesitantly.

"It didn't explode, James just decided to empty it and he got a little angry when he couldn't find what he was looking for."

Peter still looked confused so Remus explained to him that James was looking for the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak.

"But they're in the bathroom." Peter said.

"What?"

"I saw them, he must have left them in there." Peter continued.

Sirius shoved him out of the way and ran inside the bathroom. He found them right where Peter said he would.

"Hey Prongs, I found them!" Sirius exclaimed handing them over to his best friend.

James looked as if Christmas had come early.

"Where did you find them?" He asked.

"They were in the bathroom." Sirius replied. A mischievous grin spread across his face and he elbowed James in the ribs.

"What were they doing in the bathroom James? Were you and Lily having a little fun in there?" He asked slyly.

"What? Lily and I in the bath- NO!" He exclaimed turning a shade of scarlet.

Remus keeled over laughing.

"You were Prongs weren't you? That's why they were in there!"

"NO WE WERENT!"

James threw the invisibility cloak over his shoulders, instantly disappearing.

Sirius and Remus didn't stop laughing until punches and kicks started coming from a ghostly invisible presence.

"Come on, we have work to do." Remus said suddenly serious, after James kicked him hard in the gut.

Reluctantly Sirius stopped laughing as well, but only because they wouldn't let him come along if he continued.

Sirius slipped beneath the cloak with his two fellow Marauders. They forgot about Peter as they slunk toward the door and down into the Common Room. No one noticed, stuttering, bumbling, little innocent Peter Pettigrew watching them as they left, carefully waiting for the portrait to close.

"It has begun." He whispered turning back into the Boy's Dormitory.

A strange grin crossed the rat like face of the boy and his eyes went briefly out of focus. He could almost hear the words of praise in his ears, see how proud he was of him, and feel the power glimmering at his fingertips just out of reach. Everything was going exactly how they had wanted it too.

"It won't be long now." He told himself. His eyes glazed over and his sickening grin stretched across his pudgy face.

**A/N: I came back earlier than I expected so I'll probably get Chapter 36 up too before HBP and perhaps 37, though it still needs work. **

**LMDGlUVR4EVA: **She couldn't rat out Peter because she never saw him! I like the little pun though. Believe me, I can't wait to write a Harry era fanfic with Peter's death. Hehe.

**SweetSarcasm: **That's about as close as I get to writing horror. Yeah I had no time, and then I wind up back at home again a few days later, of course I'm leaving before HBP comes out. Grrrr.

**Chikichiki: **Murder she wrote. The whole potions class walked in and found Mary with the body and wand of Professor Tomorrow. She's been framed. I hope you get it now, if you don't understand, I love answering questions.

**OTHCharmedHPFreak: **Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong. I updated quickly again, and if you're lucky you might get 36 and 37 as well!

**TajM: **I'm addicted to reviews, long or short. Thanks for the e-mail by the way!

**Truffletruffle01: **I hate suspense too, which is why I love writing it. For a moment there I was scared that I was losing a reader. Yes, I know, big turn, but I warned you all and I even thought about splitting the story into 2 parts or not posting it at all. Blame the muse, it's all her fault.

**Radical-rebel: **4 hours. Your eyes must be killing you. Ah, yeah, the idea took me about 3 seconds to come up with, the 1st chapter was written in less than 5 minutes, it was meant to be a joke but I have no idea what happened after that. I couldn't stop writing it! It's still a mystery to me how I came up with this story.

**Animerocksjapanrocks: **Thanks rach, hopefully this chapter is just as good!

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **Thanks Erin, I love that line too. As you can see from the chapter title and the pathetic attempts I made to describe a scene I had so clearly in my mind, I am a little obsessed with that idea. Kind of sums up Lily and James, nearing the end…

**Sango-Inu-Yasha-lover: **Keep reading, I think I get better at the describing and detailing thing. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy the rest!

**Wudnulike2know: **Yep, Mary is completely innocent, but someone obviously framed her. She didn't kill her and Dumbledore and her friends believed her but Mary's troubles are far from over.

**OneTreeHillCharmedFreak:** I love Sirius/Diane fluff! This baby's almost complete, but I'm pretty sure that there's a little more fluffy scenes with all of our favorite couples on the way. Though those chapters are still in the works…

**Vik: **Thanks for the compliment, but I'm merely a day dreamer.


	36. In the Dark

**Cursed**

**By HazelMist**

**Summary: _The gang tries to cope with the fact that their friend's been framed or is a possible suspect in Professor Tomorrow's death and that there is a murderer among them. Lily talks to Mary. Diane sends Sirius, Remus and James on another dangerous mission. James loses a battle with an inanimate object, and Peter finds the invisibility cloak and the map in the bathroom, sparking some scandalous theories. _**

**Chapter 36: In the Dark**

Diane waited for what felt like hours, anxiously watching the staircase to the Dormitories. Her eyes continued to move between the staircase and the portrait. The boys had to be well on their way, for she had heard or rather had felt them pass by and a while ago. (Something had decided to pull her hair, something who could have only been Sirius.)

Finally after what seemed like an eternity she saw Lily appear on the staircase, holding onto the railing as she slowly descended. Diane leapt to her feet rushing over to her best friend.

"Did you talk to Mary?"

Lily nodded.

"What did she say?" Diane asked wringing her hands.

Lily sighed, they seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Let's sit down somewhere." She said to Diane.

They went over to a sheltered table off in the corner. It was their table. Diane could remember many a time when the three of them had sat at the table working through their homework, talking about Potter, their classes, the Maruaders, Potter, Hogsmeade, quidditch, Potter (Lily was a little obsessed), the Slytherins and just life in general. There were no bad guys in those happy days, they had been regular teenagers. Their greatest fears were Professor Tomorrow failing them or Lily and James killing each other. Life had been so simple. Why did it have to change?

Lily seemed to read her mind.

"Everything's different now." She whispered sadly. She reached up and wiped away a single tear.

"I wish none of this had happened." Diane said aloud. "If only we could-"

"We can't look back." Lily interrupted. "We just have to destroy him. It's the only way." Her green eyes flashed, and Diane saw a mixture of courage, anger and determination in those emerald pools. But an instant later they were replaced by grief and Lily looked weary and fatigued.

Diane nodded silently knowing she was right. She inhaled, and approached the difficult question.

"So... what did Mary tell you?"

Lily ran her hands over the table top where long ago she had written her name along with Diane and Mary. It was hopeless and now she had to let Diane know as well.

"Well, she's innocent."

"That's it?" Diane waited for her to tell her something they didn't already know. She needed something that would bring them to the answers.

"She heard someone when she came in but she thought it was her imagination. Then someone locked her in the office and unlocked it, letting her out."

"Who was it!"

Lily didn't answer right away but continued to look for her name on the table top.

That's when Diane knew. Her heart sank.

"No one was there and then she found the wand and saw the body-" Lily started but Diane interrupted.

"She doesn't know anymore then we do."

Lily's silence was the only answer she got. Diane buried her head into her hands. They had met another dead end, their hopes were dashed once again.

They needed answers, their hours were being used up like precious grains of sand in an hour glass and one day there would be no more sand left.

* * *

The three Marauders crept through the dark chilly corridors. The air grew colder and their surroundings less visible in the growing darkness as they opened the tapestry and descended. When they came to the bottom of the staircase, perhaps the same staircase Mary had taken earlier that day, they were in the dungeons.

James shivered. Even after all these years the dungeons were still a creepy place, especially at night. It didn't help matters that there was a murderer on the loose.

None of them spoke, including Sirius. Though they loved sneaking around the castle at night, pranking, and even enjoyed getting caught; they didn't have any intention of making themselves the murderer's next victim.

James glanced around wondering if perhaps the murderer was still lurking out of sight, watching them from the shadows. Was this how his parents spent their every waking moment? Were they always waiting for someone, glancing over their shoulder, wondering if they were going to die today or tomorrow? Was that what it was like?

There was no escaping him. Once he decided to kill you, that was the end. No one survived after their name appeared on the hit list. It might be the day after, or perhaps years later, but they always died...eventually.

Diane's parents were evidence of this. And soon so would his parents. James swallowed hard trying not to think about it.

"James!" Sirius hissed.

James looked up and found that they had reached the classroom and entered the Professor's office. Remus and Sirius had shed the cloak and were already searching through the hundreds of shelves of potions.

"Help us you dolt!"

James didn't need to be told twice. He joined them in their frantic search.

Fifteen minutes had passed and none of them had gotten very far. Sirius's attention span was stretched to the limit. He seemed to have forgotten that they didn't have all night.

"Hey check this one out. "Draught of Night: Causes Hallucinations of worst fears and nightmares for a full 24 hours." Can you imagine Snape?"

He stopped for a moment then he grinned and said in a voice like Snape's.

"NO! DON'T MAKE ME WASH MY HAIR! PLEASE I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST DON'T TOUCH ME WITH THE SHAMPOO!" He dropped into the Professor's chair in a dramatic faint.

Remus and James snickered, though they continued searching through the bottles and vials of various colored liquids.

"Or how about this one! "Upeealot: Urinate frequently without warning for two days straight." This one is even better! "Flies of Venus: Flies flock to this liquid to mate." No these are perfect for Snivellus- "Running nose, squeaking voice, feminine habits, here's a itching all over-"

Remus interrupted him.

"Cut it out Sirius. We can look at these another time, let's just find the Truth Potion before the murderer finds us."

That shut him up.

James savored the silence, clearing his mind without any distractions. He looked at the Potions again and nudged Remus.

"I think there's a pattern here."

Remus agreed. "I noticed it too."

The two of them went over the pattern, recognizing how they were sorted alphabetically in certain areas and according to strength, use, and difficulty in others. They figured out exactly where the truth potion would be using their pattern.

James bent down scanning the bottles on the shelf. The order wasn't quite as they had hoped. It was difficult sorting out the strengths and then the uses... it was still going to take them three or four shelves, at least a half hour.

"Truth Potion, truth potion, veratisum."

Suddenly a bottle leapt off the shelf and fell right into his waiting hands. James stared at the bottle, completely bewildered as to how he had gotten it.

Remus slapped his forehead.

"We're so stupid." He exclaimed wanting to kick himself for his own stupidity.

"Speak for yourself." Sirius growled.

Remus ignored him though and turned to James.

"All we had to do was say the name of the potion we wanted." He said. Then he turned to the shelves and called for the Upeealot. It fell right into his hands.

"That was simple." James said tucking the bottle into his pocket.

Sirius picked up the invisibility cloak and swung it around their shoulders. They left the classroom, feeling very good about themselves.

"Mission accomplished: The Maurauders get the potion and save the day AGAIN." Sirius said smirking as they entered the staircase behind the tapestry. He gave Remus a high five.

But James's thoughts were not on victories. He touched the tiny vile in his pocket thoughtfully. The classroom and office had been unlocked, no one had attacked them, and they had been able to call forth the potions they needed in less then an instant. It had been simple, too simple.

* * *

The clock struck twelve. Mary could still hear it reverberating in her mind long after the sound had died away. The day was technically over, but the night had only just begun. Would this nightmare ever end? She stared out the open window at the moonlit grounds below waiting anxiously for the night to end.

Taylor's plump cat jumped up onto the windowsill beside her. She meowed pitifully, begging Mary to pet her. Mary pulled the heavy cat into her lap and gave into its pathetic plea.

"At least someone still loves me." She grumbled to the cat. Then she laughed bitterly and returned her gaze to the open window.

The moon was only half full. She thought of Remus, and wondered what he was doing at that very moment. Did they find the potion yet? Were they still searching?

In the room behind her Taylor was sitting on her bed desperately trying to remember how to do a Cheering Charm. Every once in a while Mary would hear something break, or Taylor swearing and trying to find the counter curse for whatever she had done to herself. Jenn on the other hand had become quiet, and was now lying on her side staring blankly at her untouched stack of History of Magic notes.

_We're such a happy bunch._ Mary thought miserably. Here it was their Final year, in two weeks they would be out of school and in the real world, and they couldn't be unhappier.

"Except for you of course." She told the cat who was now purring so loudly that she remembered that it was there.

Suddenly the door banged open and an excited Diane flew in with Lily on her heels.

"We've got it!" Diane gasped. She held the vial of clear liquid up triumphantly.

"Wonderful!" Taylor exclaimed dumping her books off the bed in her excitement. Mary wasn't sure if she was happy because they had the potion or was just happy to see Lily the Charms expert. Taylor's hair was now a brilliant shade of blue that made her look remarkably like a smurf. It did not go good with her hazel eyes at all.

Jenn sat up on the edge of her bed and gave Diane and Lily a shaky smile.

"Thank James, Sirius and Remus for me. I hope it wasn't too much trouble for them."

"Trouble? Jenn, they probably enjoyed every minute of it." Diane said with a grin.

Jenn laughed nervously as she took the vial Diane handed to her. Slowly she uncapped the bottle, a tiny trail of smoke rose from the liquid as it was exposed to the air.

The cat in Mary's lap sat up with one ear twitching. Mary didn't restrain her in time and she leapt off her lap and wandered over to where the other four girls were gathered.

Lily rubbed her sweaty palms together and turned to Jenn. She had been unusually quiet and anxious since the start of the day. Now she looked down at Jenn who looked equally nervous. Her hands were shaking so bad that she didn't dare lift the vial to her mouth. Lily met her eyes and they laughed nervously.

"Are you ready?" Lily asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm just a little nervous." Jenn said gesturing with one of her trembling hands.

"Just take a deep breath and relax." Lily said, wishing the same would work for herself. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? This was it! That feeling in the pit of her stomach was supposed to go away.

Mary couldn't watch. It had been her job to bring back the potion and she had failed.

_You let them down, you failed them_ A voice screamed in her head. Mary turned her eyes away from her friends and focused on the cat. She was too ashamed of herself to look at them. Mary fought back tears, watching as the chubby cat threaded through their legs and stopped in front of Jenn. The cat tried to jump into her lap but Diane shooed her away. The cat which usually stalked off, instead came right back and continued to watch Jenn with interest.

_That cat's acting so weird._ She thought. Then abruptly her amusement turned to horror. The cat was still staring at Jenn, still trying to get into her lap. The Potion.

"Oh my god." Mary breathed jumping off of the windowsill.

"I'm ready." She heard Jenn whisper.

She took another deep breath and exhaled. Then she brought the glass to her lips with trembling hands.

"NO!"

Mary purposely slammed into Jenn and knocked the glass from her lips and out of her hand. The potion smashed to the floor and the clear liquid bled through the rug. The glass sparkled in the moonlight as a cloud moved revealing it's eerie light. All five of them stood there breathing heavily staring down at the broken glass at their feet. Then the cat appeared and began licking up the potion, bringing them back to the real world.

"What the hell Mary? What the hell were you thinking!" Taylor screamed.

Jenn pushed Mary off of her and stepped away. She said nothing to Mary, but they were shocked by the sight of tears streaming down her cheeks. She sat down on Taylor's bed in the corner, burying her face into her hands.

"Mary -" Lily began weakly but she was at a loss for words.

"I don't know you anymore. You're not the Mary McKinnon I used to know." Diane whispered backing away from her.

"Why?" Lily asked.

"You did this to her. It was you wasn't it Mary?" Taylor didn't wait for an answer instead she screamed and flung herself at Mary pinning her against the wall.

"It wasn't me!" Mary shouted eyes blazing as she struggled to push Taylor off of her.

"Stop it!" Lily yelled. She pulled out her wand.

Mary and Taylor ignored her and continued wrestling with each other.

"You betrayed us!"

"I'm not a - traitor. I AM NOT A MURDERER!"

With a burst of strength, Mary flung Taylor of off her. Taylor hit the opposite wall, hard, and was thrown to the floor. The silence was only broken by Jenn's sobbing. Then Diane let out a blood curdling scream.

Lily followed Diane's gaze and gasped, clamping one hand over her mouth.

Taylor shrieked and threw herself at the motionless fluffy bundle that had been her companion for the past seven years.

But no matter what she did, the cat was never going to wake.

It was dead.

* * *

Lily looked up at Mary. She was staring at the cat, but she didn't look surprised at all. There was something that she had missed but she couldn't put her finger on it. Lily's mind was churning, her thoughts were moving at such a rapid pace. The cat was dead, the cat had been...

"It's not her." Jenn whimpered.

Lily turned around to find Jenn hunched over on the floor. She was clutching her stomach and had gone a nasty shade of green.

"It's not Mary." She croaked.

No one else heard her they were too busy trying to kill Mary. Taylor had her wand out, the dead cat forgotten on the floor. And Diane too was reluctantly stepping toward the unsuspecting Mary who was still staring at the cat as if in a trance.

"No Diane, Taylor." Lily shook her head.

Diane lowered her wand.

Taylor though still had her wand raised.

"You filthy traitor." She hissed. "I don't know what you put in it but now I'm going to-"

"It was Rat's Poison!" Mary exclaimed suddenly.

Taylor lunged, ready to strike but Lily grabbed the back of her robes.

"Don't!" She shouted.

"Let go of me she killed my cat! She was going to kill Jenn!" Taylor fought against Lily but Lily held on and Diane came to help without knowing why.

"No you don't understand! Taylor stop it!" Lily begged. But Taylor was enraged and managed to slip free from their grasp.

"Now I'm going to-"

But Jenn stepped in front of Mary. "She saved my life." She whispered.

Then she fell to her knees, once again hunched over.

"She - s-a-ved my life." Jenn gasped. She was having difficulty breathing and was shaking uncontrollably.

Taylor lowered her wand and stared at Jenn in shock.

"You've been brainwashed."

Mary sank down beside Jenn.

"No she hasn't." Lily whispered laying a restraining hand on Taylor's shoulder.

"How did you know Mary?" She then asked turning to look at Mary with a mixture of respect and surprise.

"What? You've all gone mad." Taylor interrupted.

"Did you drink any of it?" Mary asked Jenn worriedly.

Jenn didn't say anything she just let out a soft whimper and promptly threw up all over Mary's robes.

"Damn! She drank some of it!" Mary hissed.

The color drained from Lily's face, but being the one who always kept her head, she quickly took control.

"Diane get Madam Pomfrey." She ordered.

Diane left in a flash. She still didn't know what was going on, but Jenn was in trouble.

"Taylor listen to me very carefully. Find James, Sirius and Remus and tell them to meet us at the hospital wing. But make sure that they bring this with them." Lily took out a slip of paper scribbling down something on it, then handing it back to Taylor.

"Then go get Professor Dumbledore." Taylor looked as if she'd been confounded, but she knew enough to listen to Lily.

Mary was already levitating Jenn toward the door.

"You better do this." Mary said knowing Lily was far better at Charms and was not accused of murdering a Potions Professor.

Lily cast her own levitating charm on Jenn and Mary removed and broke the link that connected her to Jenn. Solemnly she followed Lily and Jenn's motionless body out the door and down the steps.

She had been here before. Just one month earlier, she had been the one that had almost been murdered and Jenn had been the mistaken accused murderer. But no one had been hurt, and it hadn't been Jenn's fault. They had forgiven her. Mary swallowed hard hoping that one day the truth about her would be discovered and she would be forgiven too.

* * *

"James! JAMES!"

James opened his eyes expecting to find Lily. But instead it was the very last of the girls that he expected to find who was hovering over him.

"Taylor?" He asked groggily.

He could hear the other two waking up as well.

"Yes it's Taylor, now get up!" She said urgently practically tossing him from the bed.

"What's the rush?"

"The bloody sun hasn't even come up!"

"Will you three just shut up!" Taylor shouted.

They were instantly quiet.

"Something horrible happened to Jenn." She whispered.

"She didn't try to kill Lily again I'll-"

Taylor shook her head at James.

"No someone tried to kill her, I think."

The boys began bombarding her with questions but Taylor ignored them knowing she had to get to Professor Dumbledore.

"James." She said turning to him since he was after all Lily's boy friend and Lily had given him the message. "Lily told me to give this to you. Meet us at the hospital wing but bring this with you."

James took the paper from her.

"What?" He asked her.

But Taylor shrugged and ran from the room.

"Ooooooo, James got a love note!" Sirius catcalled.

James unfolded the paper knowing that this was anything but a love note. It was in fact her handwriting. He immediately recognized the hastily written scrawl. When he finished reading it he had to go back and read it again because he couldn't believe what it said.

"What does it say?" Sirius asked on a more serious note.

James ignored him, hastily grabbing his clothes and throwing them on. Remus and Sirius scrambled to follow his lead, just barely catching up to him as he left through the Fat Lady's portrait.

"What is it?" Remus panted.

"Jenn's been poisoned." James replied gravely.

Remus and Sirius stopped in their tracks, watching as he walked away in shock. Jenn was poisoned?

"Hey wait up!" Sirius called after him. Sirius and Remus could barely keep up with him as he took the steps two at a time, and then started running as soon as they reached the dungeons.

Remus and Sirius hurried after him. James was on a mission. But the chase ended when they reached the Potions Classroom.

"What are we doing here?" Remus asked softly as Sirius and him slowed down and followed James into the late Professor's office.

It had only been a few hours ago when the three of them had stood here and searched for the Truth Potion. Now they were back, but why?

James was busy examining the note that Lily and Taylor had given to him. It was obvious why they were here, it became crystal clear as James called out a potion, catching it in his hand.

"Rat's poison?" Sirius asked his eyes going wide as he recognized the potion containing the antidote for the potentially deadly poison. They had all done a huge project on it back in their fourth year.

"How did she get that?" Remus asked confused.

James grimaced, purposely avoiding his friend's question. He wheeled around and headed back in the direction of the infirmary.

"But how could that happen? Did someone poison her drink?"

"Did she eat the wrong thing?"

"How was she poisoned?"

"How do you think she was?" James snapped glaring at them.

"Think!"

Remus and Sirius turned to each other racking their brains for the solution. The answer dawned on their faces, and suddenly both of them knew.

"The truth potion." Remus breathed.

James nodded.

"But that would mean..." Sirius trailed off unable to finish what he started.

"...that it was our fault." Remus finished for him with a look of horror on his face.

"Precisely." James whispered.

* * *

"James!" Lily ran toward him throwing her arms around his neck. James held onto her, leaning down and whispering in her ear.

"We got it."

Lily pulled away from him as he took away one of his arms and held up the potion in front of her face.

"Thank you." She whispered taking it from him. She kissed him on the cheek and ran into the Hospital Wing where Madam Pomfrey and the others were waiting.

"Here it is." Lily announced. Madam Pomfrey grabbed the potion from her and bustled off to a bed in the back, pulling the curtains around it.

"Should we go in?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." A familiar voice replied.

Remus looked up and found her leaning against the wall opposite them. Her brown hair hung loosely from a low ponytail and her dark eyes watched him sadly.

"Mary." He breathed.

"Let's go." James hissed to Sirius seeing where this was going.

"Why-OW-you're strangling me!" James grabbed the protesting Sirius by the back of his robes, dragging him into the Hospital Wing. The protest faded away as the door shut behind them.

He stepped toward her, hesitating for only a moment before he crossed the corridor to where she was standing.

"Remus." She was trembling, trying so hard to restrain herself from running toward him. But she waited until he was only inches from her, and their shoes were practically touching.

He laid his hands on her shoulders, lifting one hand to touch her cheek.

"Aren't you afraid that I might bite you or hex you with my wand?" She asked sarcastically.

Remus saw the bitterness behind the dark eyes that he had grown to know so well. He saw the grief and the pain that it had caused. He looked beyond the bitterness, the grief and pain and found the truth laid out in front of him deep within her eyes.

"No I'm not afraid of you." He said softly.

"You should be." She whispered, but her sarcasm and bitterness was melting away at his gentle loving touch.

"Why should I?" He asked.

"Because they say I'm, I'm, I'm a..."

He bent down and gently kissed her lips. She looked up at him speechless and stunned with tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I don't give a damn about what they say Mary. I know the truth."

"You believe me?" She asked biting down on her lip to stop the tears from falling.

"I love you, of course I believe you."

Mary burst into tears, stepping into his loving embrace.

"I love you." She choked out between tears. "I love you Remus."

**A/N: I don't like this chapter that's why it took me so long to update. But in the end I had to keep it the way it was. Try to ignore the glaring errors, maybe I'll rewrite it some day. 37 is still in the works and I'm leaving for 2 weeks on vacation, so it might be a while, but I'm going to finish this hopefully within the next 2 months. **

**Chikichiki: **I hate grammar! I can't tell you who framed her, but I'm sure you can make a good guess. I think I would die too if I was in Mary or Jenn's situation.

**Truffletruffle01**: Oh good, haha, yeah I should give out points to whoever can come up with the most creative, best way to kill Peter Pettigrew.

**OTHCharmedHPFreak: **You have no idea how close I came to killing Peter in the next chapter, it would've been awesome, but I had to delete it of course, because it kind of disregards the HP series entirely…

**TajM: **Yep, daydreaming can give you a ton of ideas. I'm sure you have great ideas. It's almost complete, at least in my mind. I don't see more than 5 chapters left but that could change. Sorry, not much L/J action in this chapter but I'm rewriting 37 to include some hopefully. I didn't even think of putting something Lily related in his trunk, I wish I had!

**LMDGlUVR4Eva: **You're right about the invisibility cloak. But I never said that Peter didn't kill her, but then again I never said that she did. Hehe. To be honest I haven't decided yet, it's not that important since Peter's a sneaky back stabbing rat no matter what happens.

**J.E.A.R.K.Potter: **That's what I figured too and it could be taken literally too in a certain case. Still don't like Jenn? Well you don't see too much more of her.

**Sweet Sarcasm: **Ah yes, Mary's hurting. Sorry no L/J action, I'm rewriting 37 though to hopefully include some. I have a few possible scenes in mind. HBP was awesome! But now we have to wait another 2 years for the next one.

**Harry and Ginny 4eva: **I hate Peter too but unfortunately I can't kill him off as much as I desperately want too.

**Wudnulike2know: **I helped my younger sister empty her locker at school and the results were very similar to the scene with James and his trunk. I will never ever go near my sister's room or her locker ever again.

**Daisy Pixie: **I know I hate waiting! I'm a hypocrite since I go off on a month long hiatus and then proceed to nag the authors whose stories I'm reading when they don't update the following day. HBP was awesome! Totally worth the wait, but now we have to wait yet another 2 WHOLE YEARS at least before book 7. Darn.

**Killer storm: **Sorry I honestly didn't mean to take this long in updating!

**HiddenTiger13: **I don't know how I got from there to here. It completely changed that's why I thought of breaking it up into two, but I didn't. Sorry this took so long!

**Animerocksjapanrocks: **Thanks rach, I'm glad you like it!

**HarryluvsMoaningMyrtle: **Don't apologize, I should be the one apologizing. Sorry it took so long for me to update!

**Hikari Sakurai fan: **Thanks! The ending? Erm, it's kind of done, sort of, not really, but I'm working on it, trust me.

**Prongs76: **They think it's Mary because they don't know that Peter's a traitor, but we do of course, so we're pretty biased. Yes, the 6th book is out and the chapters are not up yet, I lied apparently. Not intentionally of course, I just got side tracked. A sequel? I can't answer that yet, but right now I think the answer is no, then again I found my old notebook and I had an idea for one written in it so who knows. It depends on how I end this one.

**Hpluvas: **That's an awesome April Fools joke. Maybe I'll try that next year. I mean, of course not. This chapter wasn't long, but I'm hoping the next one will be. And yes I like a good mystery because I could never read them or write them. I always peeked at the ending when reading and when writing, dragged out the story so long that everyone forgot what the mystery was in the first place. I did not peek when reading HBP though, I was so proud of myself. Don't hate me!

**WhiteCamellia: **I'm glad you found it too, I love reviews! Define _soon_. Sorry this took a while and I got a bit side tracked, I hope you're still reading!

**Amelia Bedelia: **I could write an answer to your review right here but it would give away too much of the story. But I love your reviews. You notice things that I thought I made rather obvious, but no one else picked up on. So I'm going to keep them in the dark so _that_ doesn't spill out. Thanks for all your help by the way. I'm taking your advice! Ah we have to have a good cry and eat chocolate after our baby's are finished. .:tears up:.


	37. The Traitor

**Cursed **

**By HazelMist**

**Author's Note: _I know, I know, long time no see. I've been cleaning out my files this past week though and I found this. I was planning on making this chapter longer, dragging the story out even more but I don't remember why I stopped in the middle of it or what I was planning on doing with it. I was tempted just to abandon this story, I mean it's been over a year hasn't it since I last updated and I stopped writing this story at least 2 years ago. But one or two people have reviewed in the past couple of months telling me that despite how much this story sucked they fell in love with it and think it would be wrong for me to leave it unfinished. Why not finish it then? I should be able to wrap this up by my spring break? Summer? Hopefully, who knows. But whatever here's chapter 37._ **

**Summary: _You probably forget the whole thing so here's a summary for those few that desperately want to continue reading this fanfic. It's pre-Ootp. Lily and James have hated each other for six years, but now in their seventh year something changes after Lily and James receive a detention together and Lily finally loses her cool. Lily gets so angry that she casts a memory charm of some sort on James, causing him to "forget" that he hates Lily and fall madly in love with her. Lily tries to resist, but she can't help but fall for this new James Potter who's sweet and kind to her. Gradually James's memory starts to come back to him. Meanwhile their friends Diane and Sirius struggle with their feelings for each other and eventually get together, and Remus and Mary after setting Sirius and Diane up fall for each other as well. James's slightly psycho ex-girlfriend Jenn, attacks Lily under the Imperious Curse prompting them to discover that there is a traitor amongst them, but who it is they don't know. James finally recovers his memory, is enraged with Lily, but eventually learns that he loves her. Lily and James get back together, for real this time after a second detention and a water fight, and then suddenly Jenn comes back from the hospital wing trying to tell them who the traitor is but is unable to because of a curse she's under. The gang tries to steal her a truth potion to help her with her confession, but Mary finds the Potions Professor dead (Professor Tomorrow it's PRE OOTP OK? Ok.) and is framed for the murder that she did not commit. The gang decides that Mary is not a murderer after all, steal another truth potion for Jenn. Mary realizes its poisoned but did she stop them in time? The Marauders sneak out and get the antidote for Jenn in hopes of saving her life but who knows if she'll live. And Peter is demonstrating some extremely suspicious behavior… What could he be up too? _**

**_The Flashback in this scene is a companion to the one found in Chapter 29: You Cant Hide where there's a train attack in their 5th or 6th year, Diane and Sirius have an intimate moment and Lily and James forget their difference for about a millisecond. _**

**Chapter 37: The Traitor**

The Hogwarts halls were dark and empty, lit only by the flickering light of the torches. He navigated his way easily through the stone corridors, expertly avoided the trick steps and the suits of armor that liked to trip people, all without the help of a wand light. He only slipped up once on the stairs and he had been fortunate enough to catch himself before he nearly collided with a row of suits of armor that waited at the bottom.

He smiled, as he slowly eased down the stairs and walked right past the suits of armor silently. It had only taken him the full seven years to finally get it right. But smiling broadly, he thought to himself, that it was worth the wait.

What would the other three Marauders have thought if they could see him now, no longer stumbling, no longer kissing the ground they walked on, finally using the little courage, brains and ambition that he had? They would have been proud and they probably wouldn't have recognized him. Pride swelled up in his chest only to be deflated like a balloon in the next instant. His grin faltered as he remembered what he had sacrificed to stand alone as his own person. For that was exactly what he was now, no more bumbling, worshipping, little Peter Pettigrew. That was a thing of the past. But he had lost something as well.

Peter kept going, pushing these thoughts out of his mind. He concentrated on the task at hand. The Master was waiting for him, depending on him. It hadn't succeeded the first time but how on earth was Peter supposed to have predicted Mary, of all people, realizing that it was poisoned? Perhaps he would ask one of the Marauders later how she had found out. He was rather curious, considering her situation at the moment. No doubt the Master would have another task for him after he completed this one. Peter could almost guess what it would be.

He was surprised at how easy it came to him. Before he would shudder and sometimes he would even hole himself up in his bed for hours and shiver and whimper at the thought of what he was doing. But as each order arrived, Peter felt less and less of the remorse and the guilt that had once pulsed through his veins. The voice in his head was silent, replaced with that of the feared Master who had chosen him to be a humble servant. He could still remember the glorious moment when he had asked him. What a fool he had been for not thinking of joining him earlier.

Peter paused at the door of the infirmary. He pressed an ear to the door and took several minutes of trying to remember and then emptying his pockets to find a slip of paper with the proper spell written on it. Some things would never change for the rat faced boy. Peter got the spell right on his fourth try, and the door opened. He locked the door to the hallway which led to Madam Pomfrey's sleeping quarters, though he was almost sure she was sound asleep judging by the snores.

Boldly he strode across the room and ripped the curtains aside. Moonlight streamed in through the open window and a cool night breeze stirred the curtains. She lay there bathed in the eerie moonlight, on her back with her arms spread across the pillow at random angles. Her head was turned away from him, half buried in the pillow. Her long chestnut colored hair was strewn across the pillow almost hiding her face from view. Cautiously he reached out and touched a strand of her brown hair gently. She had always been pretty, especially her perfectly straight brown hair. When Prongs, Padfoot and Moony had decided that he had a crush on Jenn they had been half right. Even now still fighting the effects of the poison he had slipped into the Truth Potion she was beautiful in his eyes.

What he hadn't counted on was her being so smart and brave. It had always been a mystery for him as to how such a brainless beauty like her had gotten into Gryffindor. He supposed it was because of her parents, but still he had wondered. When Master had given him the order and pointed out the three he had been stunned, surely there had to be some mistake. She had outsmarted him from the beginning. He had been given the order at the start of the year and she had eluded him cleverly for nearly six months. She knew she had had the advantage, knew right from the start what he wanted, who he was working for and what he wasn't going to get. So they had to call a Slytherin.

It had been humiliating for Peter. After that he had no sympathy for her, he had worked tirelessly and put the Imperio and Crucio on her from time to time, forced her to date James Potter though she played the brainless girl well and if she had found any information from James they would never know because she refused to tell them. Then she had fought off the Imperio when it had come to killing the other two. Then there was the silencing spell, she had fought that as well. She knew that Lily would pick it up right away, dropped the right hints and had the perfect plan ready to strike back at him. But he had noticed what she was up too, or at least the master had. He had skipped classes with that Slytherin Wilkes, stolen James' invisibility cloak and together the two of them had gone in and murdered the Professor and destroyed all of the Truth Potion. It had been rather fortunate that Mary had walked in, they almost killed two birds with one stone, but timing was everything and they decided to frame her instead. But that hadn't worked either, since Dumbledore was the Head Master. He saw the good in everyone and it was one of his strengths and weaknesses. Several junior Death Eaters like Peter himself, were running around Hogwarts because Dumbledore didn't have the heart to kick them out.

He had never counted on her being smart or brave beneath her brainless, boy crazy exterior, but that's exactly what she was, a brilliant Gryffindor. It had all been an act, and it had worked beautifully. That's why he would have even more pleasure killing her.

A grin crossed his face and his hand closed into a fist over another strand of hair. He marveled at the power. Right now he was about to kill the helpless, unconscious girl before him. Peter smiled smugly, drawing his wand from his pocket. Even if she did wake, which she wouldn't because he'd be too quick and Madam Pomfrey had probably given her a dreamless sleep draught, she didn't have a wand and was defenseless. At least that's what Peter thought.

That was until the girl suddenly rolled over with eyes wide open and threw herself at him, her hand going straight for his throat, her foot going for his groin. The wand fell from his hand clattering to the floor, and Peter moaned in pain, his hands next going for his throat which she was squeezing so tightly that the air was already starting to leave.

Quick as a flash she had let go of him and grabbed his discarded wand. Now she stood facing him with the wand pointed directly at the center of his chest. Her eyes blazed with an anger and a determination that Peter had never seen before.

"One move, if you so much as move a hair of an inch, I'll kill you." She breathed.

Peter started trembling as fear pulsed through his body. By the look in her eyes he knew she was ready to kill him. He didn't stand a chance, he thought panicking.

"Y-y-y-you w-w-wouldn't b-be s-so m-m-mean." He stuttered in a voice quivering with real fear.

The girl laughed bitterly, scowling as she surveyed the shivering mess of a servant that the Dark Lord had chosen to be a double agent. A part of her was still surprised by it, but now that she knew the new Wormtail, she knew that they should've seen the warning signs long ago.

"Just give me one reason why I shouldn't."

"A-A-A-z-k-k-k-"

"Azkaban?!" She smirked. "Obviously you don't know me too well. Or you would know that I've lost everything I ever wanted to live for. Your Master killed my parents, my younger sister, my two cousins, my aunt and my grandfather. He even went through the trouble to kill my boyfriend. Or have you forgotten, Wormtail?" She hissed her eyes burning brightly with new found hatred and anger.

Even in his trembling, quivering state, the words echoed in his mind.

"_He even went through the trouble to kill my boyfriend. Or have you forgotten Wormtail?" _

Peter remembered now. The boy on the train, the one who's Dad was an Auror and Mom was a prominent employee of the Department of Mysteries…

_Peter stood in an abandoned compartment with a group of his fellow Death Eaters. He was trembling from head to toe both in anticipation and fear. It was the first raid he had been included in. After he finished his O.W.L.S he had been surprised to receive a letter from the Master himself asking him to join the others in an attack on the Hogwarts Express in the coming week. Peter had reluctantly joined, both curious and afraid of what might happen._

_And now here he was waiting with the others who were trying unsuccessfully to unlock a door to a compartment._

"_They have it shut pretty good." A Seventh year Slytherin growled half in admiration and half in annoyance of the group that was ruining their big day. They had every damn defense on that door that could possibly exist. And of course this just happened to be the compartment that they needed to open. _

_It was taking them a lot longer then they had expected to break down the door. An aging Death Eater, and a brilliant Ex-Ravenclaw were working tirelessly to remove each one individually. Finally after what seemed like years for quivering Peter Pettigrew, the door was flung open._

_Curses, Hexes, Charms and sparks of every color flew directly into their faces. The Death Eaters didn't have much time to react. Peter stood at the back, watching as one by one they apparated or fell before him. Little by little the black wall moved and shifted, revealing what was inside the compartment. What he saw stunned him. _

_A group of students had gathered together in the compartment, as if anticipating their move. They couldn't have chose a better group Peter thought. There was The Head Girl, Dorcas Meadows, along with the Head Boy, nearly all of the graduating Gryffindors, as well as several of the prefects from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and a few random students. It had been rather stupid of them not to strike the Prefect's carriage first, they should have known they would have pulled something like this. After all they were the brilliant ones, and the brave resisters. Peter watched in awe. There were Lily and James, standing side by side, working together to take down the Death Eaters on their side. It was a remarkable sight to see them acting like a team when they were normally attempting to kill each other. And then there were two sixth year Gryffindors Frank Longbottom and Benjy Fenwick's oldest son Matthew, working to take down the other side with a Hufflepuff prefect, Alice Arrow._

_Peter was amazed, he had never thought that anyone would dare resist the Dark Lord. Weren't they scared of him? Didn't they know what they were up against? Peter had the opportunity to look around him and realized that all of the Death Eaters were gone. Only the ones lying on the ground remained. Shocked he started running, but someone was following. Peter ran into a compartment realizing too late that he was cornered. Matt Fenwick grabbed him._

"_You're not getting away." Matt hissed. Peter panicked and squirmed like the rat he was bringing them both to the ground._

_Matt pulled out his wand ready to stun him, but then he saw Peter's face. _

_His mouth dropped._

"_A Marauder?" He gasped._

"_It's a mistake!" Peter managed to squeak. "They made me!" _

_Matt just got madder, raising his wand and ready to strike. Peter then did something entirely unexpected, he transformed. Once again Peter had the element of surprise working in his favor. He made a bee line for the compartment across the hall, dodging Matt's large feet and the sparks that he kept throwing at him from his wand. _

"_Get back here you rat!" He yelled following Peter into the compartment. _

_Just then the compartment door flung open. Lily, James and a prefect he didn't know rushed in._

"_Matt it's a trap!" James shouted._

_But Matt never heard, for looking up he found himself face to face with two Death Eaters, just as they sent a killing curse directly at his chest. Lily and James each took one out and the other girl sent another two their way just to make sure. The three of them raced to the fallen Gryfindor's side, trying hopelessly to revive him. They had gotten there too late. _

_Shaking the older girl ran to get help, or at least to alert the others of the Death and the two stunned Death Eaters in that compartment. James had his head down, in a state of shock and sadness beneath his long messy bangs. Lily just sat there staring at the body with eyes wide, still hanging onto the boy's lifeless hand. Slowly she began to tremble as if some unseen demon had taken possession of her body._

_James looked up as if seeing her for the first time. _

"_Evans." He called, but his voice was soft and thick with grief for his former quidditch team mate. Lily didn't see or hear him, she just trembled even more, as if shivering._

"_Lily?" It was the first time since their first year that Peter had ever heard James speak her first name. It seemed as if the word was rough on his tongue. Slowly James tested it again on his tongue, this time in a more gentle and comforting tone, one that Peter had never heard coming from James before. He moved toward the shaking girl, slowly, finally touching her on the shoulder and causing her to look up at him._

"_He's not, he can't be..." She croaked. Her green eyes looked into his. _

"_He's dead Lily." James said solemnly. The words were harsh but she had to hear them. James watched as tears formed in Lily's eyes even as she tried so hard to fight them off. A strange feeling stirred inside of him as he watched her. He couldn't explain it but suddenly they weren't enemies anymore, just two people having just gone through a terrible ordeal and now dealing with a dead fellow Gryffindor and friend of both._

"_He's d-d-dead-d-d." Her quivering voice finally broke, and the sobs began to come freely. _

_It was as if someone else had taken over his body. Slowly, stiffly, cautiously James reached for her. One arm found its way around her shoulders, and the other was creeping up to his grieving enemy's shoulders as well. If Lily thought that this was odd, being her mortal enemy she must have ignored those facts. As James pulled her closer, Lily did nothing. She just allowed him to take her limp body and hold her up as she cried. Ten minutes later James had his arms fully around her and Lily was sobbing into the front of his robes. He was grieving as well, though it only showed in his eyes if you looked closely. Peter realized that James needed this as much as Lily did._

_They could have been friends or something more the way they looked. Though their motions were somewhat stiff and hesitant, they could have been something. He watched as Lily moved away and looked up at him, perhaps silently thanking him. James looked down at her, a mutual feeling of grief reflecting in his normally laughing or burning brown eyes. _

_That was the one of the last times Peter ever thought of returning. Someone had just died, and yet two enemies had put aside their differences not only to fight together as a team but then to comfort one another. He was reminded of the strong bond the Marauders had and perhaps still shared. Then there were the girls, though Taylor and Jenn were still somewhat on the outside, they had a friendship of their own that could rival that of the Marauders. Then there was Diane and Sirius, and perhaps Remus and Mary. And here were Lily and James, enemies during the school year but here on the Hogwarts Express in the midst of a crisis their masks had come undone, revealing who they really were. Perhaps, just maybe, they didn't hate each other after all. These were the Gryffindors, the ones he was betraying the ones he was turning his back on. And for a brief moment as he watched the two draw closer to one another, he had the shadow of doubt and seriously considered going to Dumbledore and offering to turn around. But slowly the Master's constant presence in his mind reminded him of the glory he had felt, the way he would always be treated, and the reason why no one seemed to notice the small changes in Peter Pettigrew. He had, never could, be a part of them. This was the only way he could go. _

_Still he took part in the moment of tranquility, and grief the Gryffindor enemies were having. He relived a few of his happier memories with the Marauders, quietly tucking them away in his mind to be forgotten. None of them wanted that moment to end. _

_But as soon as that door was flung open, the moment was shattered. Lily and James separated even before the compartment door finished sliding open. They wouldn't look at each other, instead they stared at the body as the others came in. _

_And then just as Lily and James were leaving, finally finished with the interrogations and off to see how their friends had fared, she came running in. Her brown hair was askew and her eyes were wide with anxiety and fear. Lily and James were gone, the others were stepping back, allowing her to see the figure lying in the center of the room. _

"_NO!" She screamed flinging herself down onto the ground beside him. "No not Matt, you can't leave me!" The others left the room giving her time to grieve. She ran her hands lovingly over the body of her boyfriend for the last time, kissing his lips gently and bathing him with her tears of grief._

"_I'm alone now." She whispered stroking his hair for the final time and lifting her head. Her eyes focused on Peter Pettigrew, the rat that no one had noticed before. For a brief instant their eyes locked and it was as if she knew who he really was. _

"_How could you do this to me?" She spoke to the rat, though she was talking to the Master himself who was far away in his lair, probably congratulating or punishing the others that had escaped. _

"_You won't win." She continued, her face twisting into a look of determination, her eyes flashing with a mixture of grief, anger and promise. _

"_We won't let you." _

The fire in her eyes seemed only to grow stronger. Perhaps she too had been remembering the day when she had lost her boyfriend to the Death Eaters, or perhaps she was remembering the day her parents and family were torn from her in the same manner her boyfriend was. Whatever it was it only seemed to fuel her hatred and anger.

"I'll take my chances in Azkaban." She hissed and then she opened her mouth, prepared to kill Peter Pettigrew once and for all.

What happened next neither of them expected. Something, or rather someone, leapt out of the shadows and grabbed the brunette from behind. The girl tried to scream but a large cold hand covered her mouth. She squirmed helplessly shooting off random sparks. Desperately she tried to free herself or take aim with the Rat's stolen wand. Her efforts were fruitless, the enemy was too strong. The wand was wrenched from her grasp even as she fought against him. It was tossed to Peter who failed to catch it and went down on all fours, scrambling for it.

"Don't move bitch, unless you want a painful drawn out death." A cruel voice hissed in her ear. She felt the wand pressing against her throat. It was over and she was too tired to fight. She froze and prepared herself for a quick death.

_I'm sorry Lily and Mary, I never got to tell you-_

"NO! STUPEFY!"

The door to the infirmary was flung open just as a blazing red light shot toward her, Jenn felt her limbs stiffen and lock, and suddenly she drifted out of consciousness. The last thing she remembered was catching a glimpse of a familiar face in the doorway, closing her eyes and crumpling to the stone floor.

_Death at last._

**A/N: See above. _Again the flashback is a companion to the one in Ch29._ _This chapter should have been posted when it was completed 2 years ago, I don't know why I held onto it. I know this is pre-Ootp, I know my grammar sucks, I know the plotline is a bit ridiculous and there are WAY too many clichés, but looking back I kind of miss this story. It's a silly, easy read with a bit of an original streak. As I said before I wrote the first 3 chapters to this story in about 15 minutes and I had so much fun writing this story because I didn't know where I was going with it and I didn't care. It was a blast to write and it's a pity that only now, when its too late I've come back to see if I can end it. So thanks to everyone who reviewed that last chapter so long ago. I read every single one of them and I adore all of you. Thank you._ **


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